Card selection and display and restoration

ABSTRACT

Embodiments related to conducting a wagering game according to the rules of a base game includes defining a finite set of game indicia. In some embodiments the player plays multiple sequential game hand by placing a wager, receiving game indicia from the finite set cumulatively excluding any game indicia previously dealt, playing the game hand to completion, collecting the game indicia from the player and excluding the dealt game indicia from further play, and displaying at least the excluded game indicia or any winning combinations precluded by the excluded game indicia. In some embodiments the game hands continue in sequence until a restoration event, which may include a manually triggered restoration or an automatic restoration event, that restores the excluded game indicia. Other embodiments are also described.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/616,156 filed Sep. 14, 2012 which is a continuation in part of Ser.No. 13/487,417, filed on Jun. 5, 2012 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,944,901issued on Feb. 3, 2015), which is a continuation of Ser. No. 12/252,488,filed Oct. 16, 2008 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,192,266 issued on Jun. 5,2012).

This application is a continuation in part of Ser. No. 12/253,343, filedOct.17, 2008.

This application is a continuation in part of Ser. No. 12/254485, filedOct. 20, 2008.

This application is a continuation in part of Ser. No. 13/409349, filedMar. 1, 2012 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,287,344 filed Oct. 16, 2012), which isa continuation of Ser. No. 12/256,634 filed on Oct. 23, 2008 (now U.S.Pat. No. 8,137,173 issued on Mar. 20, 2012).

This application is a continuation in part of Ser. No. 12/256640, filedon Oct. 23, 2008.

This application is a continuation in part of Ser. No. 13/555300, filedJul. 23, 2012, which is a continuation of Ser. No. 12/257,649 filed Oct.24, 2008 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,226,460 issued on Jul. 24, 2012).

This application is a continuation in part of Ser. No. 12/259325, filedon Oct. 28, 2008 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,657,656).

This application is a continuation in part of Ser. No. 12/259330, filedOct. 28, 2008 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,308,543 issued on Nov. 13, 2012).

This application is a continuation in part of Ser. No. 13/437441, filedApr. 2, 2012 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,662,978 issued on Mar. 4, 2014), whichis a continuation-in-part of each of Ser. No. 12/255,123, filed on Oct.21, 2008 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,147,308 issued on Apr. 3, 2012) and U.S.patent application Ser. No. 12/263,768, filed on Nov. 3, 2008 (now U.S.Pat. No. 8,147,307 issued on Apr. 3, 2012).

This application is a continuation in part of Ser. No. 12/263779, filedNov. 3, 2008 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,408,988 issued on Apr. 2, 2013).

This application is a continuation in part of Ser. No. 12/263789, filedNov. 3, 2008 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,287,346 issued on Oct. 16, 2012).

All of the previously mentioned applications are hereby incorporatedherein by reference.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a method according to an embodiment of thepresent invention directed to multiple sequential game hands;

FIG. 2 is a flow chart of a method according to an embodiment of thepresent invention directed to multiple simultaneous game hands;

FIG. 3 shows a layout for a screen display for the electronic versionbefore play;

FIG. 4 shows a layout for the screen display for the electronic versionafter the deal of cards;

FIGS. 5A through 5D show representations of symbols which may be usedfor play of the game;

FIG. 6 shows a display for another version of the electronic game;

FIG. 7 shows a processor controlled display after the play of one handof Video Poker;

FIG. 8 shows the processor controlled display after the play of anotherhand of play of Video Poker;

FIG. 9 illustrates a flowchart for a game of Video Poker; and

FIG. 10 illustrates a flowchart for a game of Blackjack or Baccarat.

DESCRIPTION Embodiments Set A

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/977,138 entitled “Electronic CardGame and Method,” filed Oct. 12, 2001, U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 60/241,644 entitled “Electronic Video Poker Game and Method,” filedOct. 19, 2000, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/942,520 entitled“Live And Electronic Wagering And Lottery Game,” filed Aug. 29, 2001,U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/229,665 entitled “Live andElectronic Wagering and Lottery Game,” filed Aug. 31, 2000, and U.S.patent application Ser. No. 11/007,108, entitled “Method of conducting awagering game with continuous depletion,” filed Dec. 7, 2004 are allhereby incorporated herein by reference. Embodiments of the presentinvention relate to games. Some embodiments relate to a method forconducting multiple hands of a game. In some implementations, a game mayinvolve a single finite game indicia set that cumulatively excludes gameindicia previously dealt until a restoration event occurs.

There are many known casino games that use indicia to determine theoutcome of the game. For example, many casino games of chance utilizereels displaying a fixed set of award symbols. These reel games arecommonly referred to as reel slot machines or slot machines.

Slot machines can contain any number of reels, although most slotmachines contain three, four, or five reels, and any number of paylines, although most slot machines include one, three, five, eight, ornine pay lines. Each reel on a slot machine may index at a plurality ofpositions or stops, each of which contains a symbol or a blank. Thenumber and location of index positions can vary depending upon the modeltype of each game but all instances, are fixed. These model types aredetermined by a variety of award tables and corresponding combinationsof reel symbols. As noted above, the combination of symbols displayedwhen the reels index determines whether the player has won or lost.

The player may place a wager to initiate play of a slot machine. In someimplementations, the player can place multiple wagers to, as describedpreviously, increase the payout amounts, increase the number of activepay lines, or both. Often, the specific wagering structure dictates theallocation of multiple coin wagers. The reels may be randomized, i.e.mechanically or electronically “spun,” and the combinations of reelsymbols index across the pay line or pay lines are examined for winningcombinations. Winning combinations are rewarded according to the paytable which may take into account the size of the wager.

Some implementations of video poker are well known (e.g., video drawpoker, video stud poker, etc.). In some games of video draw poker, agaming device is provided wherein the player makes a wager and thedevice's processor selects (e.g., from a data structure containing datarepresenting cards in a deck of playing cards) five cards to bedisplayed face up to represent an initial hand. The player selectswhich, if any, of the five cards of the initial hand to hold and promptsthe processor to discard the remaining cards. The discarded cards arereplaced with replacements (e.g., selected from the data structure) toproduce a final hand outcome of a five card poker hand. The video drawpoker device may compare the final outcome to the predetermined winningcombinations, which may also be stored in a data structure, thesecombinations frequently representing ranked poker hands. If the player'sfinal outcome matches a winning combination, the player is rewarded.Otherwise, the final outcome may be deemed to be a loss and the player'swager may be retained.

In a variation of video draw poker, multiple hands may be provided. Aswith conventional video draw poker, the device's processor may randomlydeal five cards to a player for an initial hand. The player may selectwhich, if any, of the five cards of the initial hand to hold. Prior todrawing replacement cards for the initial hand, the held cards may becopied into the other hands. The player may prompt the processor todiscard the remaining cards and additional cards may be drawn to replacethe discarded cards. The processor may then repeat the draw step for theadditional hands. Thus, a player receives multiple opportunities to drawto the same held cards.

Blackjack is a well known card game played in casinos. The object of thegame is to have a final hand total closer to twenty-one than thedealer's hand without exceeding twenty-one. For purposes of calculatingthe final hand total, each card has a value equal to its face valueexcept face cards, which have a value of ten, and aces, which may have avalue of eleven or one as the player selects or as required to preventthe player from exceeding twenty-one. In conventional Blackjack, thesuit of the cards is not relevant to the outcome of the game.

The form of Blackjack played in some casinos is played between a dealer,representing the house, and at least one player. In a typical Blackjackgame, each player makes a wager in a wagering area on a playing surface.The dealer deals two cards to each player and two cards, one card faceup and the other face down, to himself or herself. Any player receivinga natural twenty-one or Blackjack, i.e. a total of twenty-one in theinitial dealt hand, is immediately rewarded, typically at a rate of 2:1or 3:2, and play is terminated as to that player. Each remaining playerexamines his or her hand and decides whether to hit, i.e. receiveanother card, or stand, i.e. receive no further cards and finish playwith the player's current hand. A player may hit as many times as theplayer wishes as long as the player does not bust, i.e. have acumulative total greater than twenty-one. When a player busts, thatplayer's wager is immediately collected and play is terminated as tothat player.

A player may also have additional options available depending on theinitial hand dealt and the house rules. For example, a player may havethe option of “doubling down.” Although the availability of the doubledown option varies depending on each casino's house rules, the optionallows a player to double the player's wager in exchange for a singleadditional card. Some house rules permit doubling down on initial handtotals of ten or eleven only, other house rules permit doubling down onany initial hand total.

Another option available to a player is the option of “splitting.” If aplayer receives a pair, i.e. two cards having the same face value, inhis initial hand, most house rules permit the player to split the pairand use each card as a basis for a separate hand. For example, if aplayer is dealt a pair of eights, the player may choose to split thepair and continue play with two hands each having an eight and anadditional dealt card as an initial hand. Each of those individual handsis then played independently by hitting, standing, or, under some houserules, doubling down or further splitting.

After all the players have played their hands, the dealer reveals theface-down card in the dealer's hand and completes the dealer's handaccording to established house rules. That is, the casino usesestablished rules to eliminate the dealer's discretion. The dealer hitsor stands as the house rules dictate, and resolves the wagers. Inresolving the wagers, players with a final hand total closer totwenty-one than the dealer's final hand total are rewarded at evenmoney. Conversely, wagers are collected from players with a final handtotal further from twenty-one than the dealer's final hand total. If thedealer busts, all players who did not bust or receive a Blackjack arerewarded at even money. If the player and dealer push, i.e. have thesame final hand total, the player's wager is returned.

Some players may believe that a drawback to any of these games is thatthey are well known and may provide little suspense in play. That is, asa player plays, the game is static. Each game is a separate trial usingthe same base set of symbols. Additionally, while many different typesof bonus pay outs have been created, some players may desire bonus payouts created in which the likelihood of obtaining the payout increaseswith additional play.

It should be recognized that any game or set of games may be played in alive, electronic and/or any other version.

Some embodiments of the present invention include a method forconducting a wagering game. The method can be applied to any base gameusing a set of game indicia. The base game includes, but is not limitedto, games in which a player plays the game indicia originally dealt,such as slot machines, lotto, Bingo, stud poker, or the like; games inwhich players obtain additional game indicia during the game (either atthe player's option or automatically), such as Blackjack or twenty-oneand poker; and games in which a player may opt to discard and replacegame indicia, such as draw poker. The present method may also be appliedto single player or multi-player games.

In some embodiments, a finite set of game indicia are defined.Optionally, the finite set of game indicia are ordered. Some methods canbe thought of as a multi-hand game. In one optional embodiment, the gamehands are dealt sequentially; in an alternate embodiment, the game handsare dealt simultaneously. In either case, the player may place a wagerfor a game hand and game indicia are dealt to the player from the finiteset cumulatively excluding all game indicia dealt in previous gamehands, if any. The player plays the game hand to completion according tothe base game. A determination is made whether the game hand forms awinning hand according to the base game. In one optional embodiment,this determination may be made by comparing the game hand to a scheduleof game hands. In another optional embodiment, this determination may bemade by comparing the game hand to one or more other player's and/ordealer's game hands.

In some embodiments, game indicia dealt are collected and, along withall game indicia dealt in previous game hands, are excluded from play ina subsequent game hand. At least one of (1) the inventory of the gameindicia from the finite set cumulatively excluding all game indiciadealt in previous game hands or (2) winning hands including one or moreexcluded game indicia is displayed to the player. Optionally, both maybe displayed.

In an optional embodiment in which multiple game hands are dealtsimultaneously, the process is repeated for each game hand. Optionally,the player may be allowed to select the order in which game hands areconducted.

In an optional embodiment in which multiple game hands are dealtsequentially, the process is repeated for additional sequential gamehands. Specifically, the steps of placing a wager, dealing game indicia,completing a game hand, collecting and excluding dealt game indicia, anddisplaying the game indicia inventory and/or the winning handseliminated by the exclusion of game indicia, are repeated until arestoration event.

In some embodiments, the restoration event may include at least a manualrestoration event, such as a player triggered restoration. In anoptional multi-player embodiment, only one player may be eligible totrigger a manual restoration event on any game hand. Optionally, therestoration event may also include an automatic restoration event, suchas the dealing of a quantity of game indicia or the conducting of aquantity of game hands. In a further optional embodiment, therestoration event includes a manual restoration event and an automaticrestoration event, whichever occurs first. Upon a restoration event,excluded game indicia are restored to the finite set. In an optionalembodiment in which the finite set is ordered, a restoration event alsocauses a reordering of the finite set.

In an optional embodiment, the player is restricted from placing agreater wager and/or altering the denomination of the wager in theadditional sequential game hands. That is, in such an optionalembodiment, the player may only change the wager size and/ordenomination immediately following a restoration event.

In an optional embodiment directed to multi-denomination wagering, aplurality of wager denominations are defined. The game hand history isseparately tracked for play at each wager denomination.

It should be recognized that all embodiments are optional whether or notthey are specifically referred to as optional. A description of anembodiment is a description of an example that may or may not beincluded in some methods and/or apparatus.

Reference is now made to the figures wherein like parts are referred toby like numerals throughout. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, some embodimentsof the present invention include a method 10 for conducting a wageringgame. Various methods could be implemented in a gaming machine, livegame, conducted via computer network or Internet, or implemented in anyother form.

Some methods are directed for use in combination with a base game. Thebase game may be a pre-existing base game or may be based on apre-existing base game. Alternatively, the base game may be differentfrom existing games. Among other purposes, the base game rules serve toguide the steps for completing a game hand and determining whether agame hand is a winning hand.

In this regard, it is noted that various methods could be used inconjunction with any base game. For example, the base game may includerules for the completion of a game hand in which a player plays the gameindicia dealt, such as in a slot game, lotto, Bingo, stud poker game, orthe like. Similarly, the base game may include rules for the completionof a game hand in which a player receives additional game indicia,either automatically or at the player's option, such as in Blackjack ortwenty-one, Baccarat, or the like. Additionally, the base game mayinclude rules for the completion of a game hand in which a player maydiscard and replace game indicia, such as in draw poker or the like.Examples of such games are given below. It is noted that these examplesmerely illustrate how various methods could be applied to various basegames and should not be considered restrictive, since methods could beadapted to any other base game.

The base game rules may also vary according to the rules determiningwhether a game hand is a winning hand. Various methods could be appliedto any base game without regard to how a winning hand is determined. Forexample, the base game rules may include determining a winning hand bycomparing the game hand to a standard, such as a pay table. Similarly,the base game rules may include determining a winning hand by comparingthe game hand to a dealer's hand, or one or more player's hand.

The base game may include single player or multi-player games. Whilevarious methods could be conducted the same whether a single player ormultiple players are playing, in an optional embodiment directed tomulti-player games, an optional rule could be implemented in which onlyone player is eligible to cause a manual restoration event during anygame hand. As discussed in greater detail below, the eligibility mayrotate among the players in such an optional embodiment.

Method 10 could be implemented for multiple sequential game hands, suchas shown in the optional embodiment of FIG. 1, or for multiplesimultaneous game hands, such as the method 40 shown in the optionalembodiment of FIG. 2. Turning first to FIG. 1, the example embodimentincludes defining 12 a finite set of game indicia. The game indicia maytake any form including, but not limited to, playing cards, numbers,Bingo numbers, slot reel symbols, slot reel stops, or any other indicia.The finite set may include any quantity of game indicia, may includerepeated game indicia, and may include multiple “sets” of game indicia,such as multiple decks of cards. That is, by “finite” it is intendedthat the finite set be closed so that exclusion or depletion, asdescribed below, can occur.

Referring generally to FIGS. 1 and 2, the player places 14 a wager. Inan embodiment directed to multiple sequential game hands, as shown inFIG. 1, the player places a wager for each game hand. Optionally, thewager may be controlled in that the player's options for altering awager and/or wager denomination between restoration events may belimited. This is described in greater detail below. In an embodimentdirected to multiple simultaneous game hands, as shown in FIG. 2, thepresent method may require only a single wager for participation or mayrequire a separate wager for each game hand.

Returning to FIG. 1, a game hand is dealt 16 to the player. By “dealt”it is meant that game indicia are assigned to a player. In this regard,it is intended that slot reel symbols, Bingo numbers, lotto numbers,Keno numbers, playing cards, or any other game indicia may be “dealt.”In the initial game hand, i.e. a game hand dealt 16 immediately after arestoration event, the game indicia may be dealt from a complete finiteset in some embodiments. In subsequent game hands, discussed in greaterdetail below, the game indicia may be dealt 30 from the finite setexcluding previously dealt game indicia in some embodiments. That is,after a game indicia is dealt it may be excluded from subsequent playuntil a restoration event in some embodiments. For example, in anembodiment in which the finite set is a single deck of playing cards, adealt game hand of K heart 9.diamond 10.diamond. 3 club 7 hearts wouldmean that these cards are depleted from the finite set and, thus, thereare no King of hearts, nine of diamonds, ten of diamonds, three ofclubs, or seven of hearts available in the single deck inventory fromwhich subsequent game hands will be dealt until a restoration event. Itshould be recognized that such depletion and finite sets may not beincluded in all embodiments, and/or other methods may be used, asdescribed in more detail below.

With continued reference to FIG. 1, the player may play 18 the game handto completion according to the rules of the base game. As discussedabove, the precise base game can vary and, in fact, it is contemplatedthat embodiments of the present invention could be applied to any basegame. Once the game hand is completed, the game hand may be assessed todetermine whether the game hand is a winning hand and whether the playeris entitled to an award.

In some embodiments, the game indicia of the game hand are collected 20,i.e. removed from play. That is, the player does not carry any of thegame indicia to the next game hand in some such embodiments—in thissense, each game hand is separate because each game hand is separatelydealt. Additionally, all dealt game indicia are excluded from furtherfrom play in a subsequent hand until a restoration event in someembodiments. This “exclusion” of game indicia dealt may allow thedepletion of game indicia, optionally down to zero, from the universe ofgame indicia that can be dealt in a subsequent game hand. That is, withdealt game indicia excluded from subsequent play, the total inventory ofgame indicia is reduced and the inventory of the specific game indiciadealt is reduced, and may reach a zero balance, thereby reducing oreliminating the possibility that a game indicium will be dealt in asubsequent play in some embodiments. This, in turn, could eliminatecertain winning hands from being dealt. For example, in a game using onedeck of playing cards, if a player is dealt four Jacks in a game handthen a Royal Flush, i.e. a straight flush of ten through Ace, has beeneliminated from subsequent hands by the depletion to zero inventory ofthe Jacks, unless a restoration event occurs.

In some embodiments, the results of the exclusion of dealt game indiciais available to the player by displaying 22 the constitution of thefinite set excluding the dealt game indicia (or conversely by displayingthe dealt game indicia), by displaying 22 the winning hands eliminatedas a result of the exclusion of dealt game indicia (or conversely bydisplaying only the winning hands that can still be dealt), or both. Asmentioned above, other embodiments may not include a finite set orexcluding as described so far and/or may include other methods. Suchalternatives are discussed below.

In some embodiments, additional game hands are conducted with the playerplacing 28 a wager, receiving a game hand of game indicia, and playingthe game hand to completion. As noted above, these additional game handsmay be dealt 30 from the finite set excluding any previously dealt gameindicia in some embodiments. As each additional game hand is completed,the dealt game indicia from the additional game hands may be removedfrom play, e.g. collected from the player, and excluded from theinventory of game indicia available for subsequent game hands in someembodiments. As above, the results of the exclusion are displayed to theplayer in some embodiments.

It is noted that in an optional embodiment, the size of the wager in theadditional game hands may be controlled. For example, the player may berestricted in the amount by which the player can increase the wager.That is, in an optional embodiment, the bet spread, i.e. the spreadbetween the minimum wager and the maximum wager, may be different in theadditional game hands than in a hand played with the full finite set ofgame indicia. In a further optional embodiment, not permitted toincrease the wager at all during the additional game hands. Rather, theplayer of such an optional embodiment would only be permitted toincrease the player's wager in a game following a restoration event. Inother words, in such an embodiment, a player may increase the player'swager only when the finite set is restored of all the excluded gameindicia.

In this regard, it is also contemplated that various methods may beadapted to a game in which multiple wager denominations are established.In an optional embodiment of such a multi-denomination game, the playermay be restricted in changing denominations in that the player of suchan optional embodiment would only be permitted to change the player'swager denomination in a game following a restoration event. That is, asabove, in such an optional embodiment a player may change wagerdenomination only in some circumstances, such as when the full finiteset of game indicia is available in some embodiments. One purpose ofsuch optional wager and wager denomination restrictions are to controlthe house edge as additional game indicia are excluded from play in someembodiments, or other circumstances regarding a deck are changed in someembodiments.

As an example, in one optional embodiment, a player is enabled to placea wager of anywhere from one to five hundred credits without allowingplayers too great an ability to reduce the house edge. This isaccomplished in this optional embodiment by dividing the wagers intowager denomination levels in which the maximum wager in any one wagerdenomination level is a predetermined multiple of the minimum wager. Themultiple could depend upon the specific game; for example, in aBlackjack-type game, the multiple could be two, in other games, themultiple could be five. Thus, a first wager denomination level is onecredit to five credits, a second wager denomination level is fivecredits to twenty-five credits, a third wager denomination level is tencredits to fifty credits, a fourth wager denomination level istwenty-five credits to one hundred twenty-five credits, and a fifthwager denomination level is one hundred credits to five hundred credits.Thus, a player is permitted to wager anywhere from one to five hundredcredits, or at discrete plateaus therein, but may need to change wagerdenomination to do so.

According to some embodiments, the inventory may be restored orreshuffled to a full contingency before a player can increase the wagerdenomination. For instance, if a player is playing five credits per handthen wishes to raise the wager to one hundred credits per hand, theplayer cannot do so at the current wager level which would, at most,permit a wager of twenty-five credits per hand. Thus, the player in suchan example, would need to change wager denomination to place a wager ofone hundred credits per hand. As noted, a change in wager denominationwould, in this optional embodiment, be allowed if the player triggers amanual restoration event, i.e. restores the game indicia to the fullfinite set. It should be understood that other embodiments may notinclude shuffling, finite sets, and/or may include any other methods.

Returning to the optional embodiment of FIG. 1, the additional gamehands are dealt until a restoration event 24. The restoration event 24may include a manual restoration event alone or in combination with anautomatic restoration event in some embodiments. It should be recognizedthat such restoration events may not be included in some embodiments andmay take any form in other embodiments. In one optional embodiment, botha manual restoration event and an automatic restoration event areprovided, and the restoration occurs based on whichever occurs first.For example, a manual restoration event may include the playertriggering a restoration. Similarly, the automatic restoration event mayinclude the dealing of a predetermined quantity of game indicia and/orthe conducting of a predetermined quantity of game hands. Thus, in anembodiment in which both manual and automatic restoration events arepermitted, the player may trigger a restoration or may wait until arestoration automatically occurs after a certain quantity of gameindicia are dealt and/or a certain quantity of game hands are conducted.

In an optional embodiment directed for use in a multi-player game, eachplayer may be able to manually trigger a restoration. However, inanother optional embodiment for multi-player games, only one player iseligible to manually trigger a restoration on any game hand. In afurther optional embodiment, the eligibility to manually trigger arestoration rotates among the players.

In some embodiments, upon a restoration event, the excluded game indiciaare restored 26 to the set of game indicia available for play. In otherwords, the full finite set of game indicia are available in a game handdealt immediately after a restoration event. Optionally, in games inwhich the finite set is ordered, and game hands are dealt from theordered finite set, a restoration event may optionally restore excludedgame indicia and reorder the finite set. It should be recognized thatother embodiments may not include a finite set, may not includerestoration events, may not include a set of indicia, and/or may includeany other method.

According to an optional embodiment of the present method, it may bedesirable to track game hands to maintain a history of the game indiciaavailable, i.e. the state of depletion, and the game hands dealt. In amulti-denomination embodiment of the present invention, the game historymay be separately tracked and stored for each wager denomination plusthe total games history of a machine.

The optional embodiment of FIG. 2 is one possible version of the presentmethod 40 applied to a game in which multiple, i.e. at least two,simultaneous game hands are dealt. That is, in the embodiment of FIG. 2,rather than dealing game hands sequentially from a continuously depletedset of game indicia, the game hands are dealt simultaneously from acontinuously depleted set of game indicia.

As described in some embodiments above, a finite set of game indicia maybe defined 12. In such an optional embodiment, the player places 14 awager and multiple game hands are simultaneously dealt 42 to a player.In this optional embodiment, the multiple game hands are dealt 42 fromthe finite set of game indicia. The game hands are played 18 tocompletion. Optionally, the player may choose the order in which thegame hands are completed. Alternatively, the player may follow apredefined order in playing the game hands. As the player completes eachgame hand, the game indicia of the dealt hands along with any additionalgame indicia dealt to a game hand may be excluded 44 from the gameindicia available in completing another game hand in some embodiments.That is, throughout the conduct of the method, the available gameindicia are depleted by the game indicia dealt in some embodiments. Atleast the game indicia inventory or the winning hands excluded by thedepletion are displayed 22 to the player in some embodiments. Theprocess is repeated until there are no game hands remaining 46. Afterall the game hands are completed, the excluded game indicia are restored26 for the next subsequent deal in some embodiments.

Below are given some examples of games and possible methods forresolving whether a game hand is a winning hand. It is specificallynoted that these games are merely examples and should be consideredneither limiting to the present method nor the only possibleapplications of the present method.

Numbers, Lotto, or Bingo-Type Games

This optional game may be played in a live or electronic version. Insome embodiments, the game may be played with an inventory of gameindicia. The game indicia may take many different forms, but in anoptional embodiment, a fully constituted inventory consists of indiciabetween the numbers of 30 and 500 simulated symbols or live balls. Forthe purpose of explaining this optional embodiment of the game, the term“cage” refers to the location of the inventory of game indicia and theword “ball(s)” to refer to the game indicia available for dealing, eventhough it is contemplated that the game may be electronic in nature andthere may be no physical “cage” or “ball(s)” but rather electronicrepresentations thereof or no such elements at all.

In an example game, the cage is loaded with 63 balls and is continuallyspun and mixed by a random number generator (“RNG”) until the first ballis drawn, similar to Bingo. Some of the ball symbols have numbers onthem and the others are just blank. Each game version may have one ormore duplicate game indicia. One example of the cage inventory may be:

Ball Symbol Number of Balls 7 3 11 5 1 15 2 9 3 7 Blanks 24

In this example embodiment, when a player activates the “Play” button onthe electronic game embodiment with a fully constituted cage inventoryof balls, i.e. the complete finite set of game indicia, the RNG selectsthe first ball symbol and continues to select a ball until the firstgame play is complete. In this optional embodiment, the screen has anarray of three rows of three spaces each for a total of nine spaces forthe selected balls. Thus, in such an optional embodiment, a player has achoice to wager on anywhere between one pay line and eight pay lines,i.e. any of the three horizontal rows, three vertical columns, or twodiagonals. A winning combination may be obtained if three matching gameindicia line up in a row, column, or diagonal. Example of a pay table:

Symbol 1 Unit 2 Units 3 Units 4 Units 5 Units Combination Bet Bet BetBet Bet 7's 2,000 4,000 6,000 8,000 10,000 11's  200 400 600 800 1,000Any 7 50 100 150 200 250 or 11's 3's 50 100 150 200 250 2's 20 40 60 80100 1's 10 20 30 40 50 Any 1, 2 5 10 15 20 25 or 3's Blanks 1 2 3 4 5

In this example embodiments, game indicia are depleted from the cage aseach ball is drawn out of the game indicia cage inventory. In anoptional embodiment, the first 3 balls called are for the centerhorizontal row of spaces first, then the other balls are called to fillthe remaining rows one at a time until nine balls are selected. As eachball symbol is selected to form a play line, it is deleted from therespective indicia symbol inventory stored in the cage. Indiciadepletion from the cage not only reduces the total inventory, but eachseparate group of symbols (numbered balls) may go to a zero balance andnot be available for the next depleted portion of the game.

In this optional embodiment, a player may deplete up to fifty-four ballsfrom the cage before an automatic restoration event. In such an optionalembodiment, this equates to six complete game hands from a fullyconstituted cage, before the cage is automatically restored with thepreviously excluded inventory. The precise point of restoring theinventory will vary between versions, but factors that may be consideredin triggering an automatic restoration could include the house edge inthe game and any regulatory requirements regarding the minimum andmaximum pay outs. Nonetheless, certain win combinations of indicia maybe impossible to obtain as the inventory is depleted and, in thisoptional embodiment, these are displayed to the player. That is, when anindicia symbol or combination of symbols that can form a winningcombination of a listed payout is excluded from the game indiciaavailable prior to the start of new round or game, the player will benotified. In this optional embodiment, players are also informed of theremaining cage inventory after at least one round of game has beenplayed, so the player has available the information to play based uponthe depletion.

The present optional embodiment may also include a manual restorationevent. That is, a player may have the ability to restore at will theexcluded game indicia to the inventory. In this optional embodiment, theplayer may use a “Restore” button to control the point of playing withdepleted inventory and the associated reduced or deleted winningcombination pay outs.

In this example embodiment, the distinction between the automaticrestoration event and the manual restoration event is that a player hasno control or input in the automatic restoring point. Rather, in thisoptional embodiment, the excluded game indicia are automaticallyrestored after a certain amount of game indicia has been drawn. However,using the manual restoration event, in this case the “Restore” button, aplayer can control the early restoring of the cage anytime after a gamehand is completed.

In an optional embodiment, the “Restore” button may also be used toalter the sequence of any new numbers being selected from a full cage ifpressed before the “Play” button is pressed. In such an optionalembodiment, the RNG that controls the mixing and selection of gameindicia is clock operated, and by utilizing the “Restore” button, italters the timing position of the clock. In other words, if a playerwere to use the “Restore” button before pressing the “Play” button, thesequence of selected numbers would be different than if the “Play”button was used first. Thus, this optional embodiment allows players theability have some input into the selection process of the RNG. Forexample, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,581,935, which is hereby incorporated byreference, an embodiment is described in which actuating a “Restore”button before a “Play” button alters the clock of a clock-based RNGthereby providing a different seed for randomly selecting game indicia.

In this example embodiment, a skill factor of knowing when the optimumtime to call for an early restoration of the cage inventory based upondepletion and remaining symbol indicia may be beneficial. Proper use ofthe “Restore” button may add to the expected value payout of the game.The optimal play strategy of restoring the inventory at the precise timerelative to the possible remaining is not always apparent, and playerswill have to develop a feel or skill for when to do this.

In an optional embodiment, this example game may be played with multiplewager denominations without changing pay outs in the pay tables or gameindicia inventory. This is distinguished from many of the other videogames which either change the pay tables or adjust the symbol mappinghit frequency (by adding or subtracting stops), to keep the casino dailyhold amount about the same for all the denominations of play on aspecific game. The bet spread limit on any round or game is between oneand five credit units of a specified denomination. This optionalembodiment permits varying sized wagers on each round or game, with thewager spread controlled by requiring the players to manually restore thecage inventory before changing wager denomination.

In this optional example, play history is separately tracked for eachwager denomination. In such an optional embodiment, the history for anyparticular wager denomination is tracked since the exclusion of dealtgame indicia makes each game unique.

Thus, in an optional embodiment of such a gaming machine, having five orsix wager denominations, the play history is separately tracked for eachof five or six, respectively, wager denominations. While the informationtracked may vary, in this optional embodiment, information such as thegame indicia dealt, amount bet, amount paid out (if any), time, and dateare tracked. Also, the amount of information tracked may vary, but in anoptional embodiment, because a depletion game plays multiple game handsfrom a continually depleted inventory of game indicia, a record may bekept on the number of each game played from a full inventory (round 1, 2etc.), thereby tracking the actual depletion of the inventory. This isdistinguished from other video games, none of which plays more than onegame, hand or round from a full inventory of indicia.

In an alternate optional embodiment directed to live play, a wire cageor blower contains five times the amount of inventory or three hundredfifteen balls that are selected nine at a time for up to six players ata specialized table. Up to five game hands are played before the cage isautomatically restored. Pay outs may remain the same as electronicversion. In this multi-player optional embodiment, the manual “Restore”button is passed from player to player each time the cage is restored.

Slot Machine Games

In another optional embodiment the depletion occurs in a video slotformat. In a typical video or reel slot machine the symbols on the reelsare not the actual stops. In such a typical machine, there may beanywhere from twenty-one to twenty-four symbols and blank spaces shownon each reel but there are actually anywhere from 220 to 370 stops foreach reel that is mapped to the reel symbols. For a typical slot machinewith twenty-two reel symbols/blank stops on each reel, this equates toover 10,000,000 possible combinations.

In this optional embodiment, the actual number of symbol stops aredisplayed for the reels in each of the reel inventory storage areas. Thegame initiates just like a slot machine and stops each reel wherever therandom number generator instructs it to after the number has beenselected.

However, in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention,after each game hand, the displayed combination of symbols and/or blanksmay be excluded from that reel's inventory for subsequent game hands.Thus, after the first game hand in which, for example, 220 stops on eachreel were available, only 219 stops on each reel are available on asecond game hand. The depletion reduces the total combinations possibleeach time a stop is removed thus increasing the probability for a playerto hit a jackpot. As above, this optional embodiment includes anautomatic restoration event such that a certain amount of stops willalways be left in the inventory when the automatic restoration of theexcluded game indicia, i.e. reel stops, occurs. Also, a manualrestoration event such as a “Reload” button will allow a player tocontrol the early restoration of the game indicia.

Poker-Type Games

Various embodiments may be applied to a poker-type game. For example, inone optional embodiment in which the base game is a standard Jacks orbetter video draw poker game, up to four game hands are dealt from astandard fifty-two card poker deck before an automatic restorationevent. As known in the art, the player of such an optional embodimentplays to obtain a winning hand as listed on a pay table. Play startswhen a player selects the wager denomination for betting and places abet of between minimum and maximum credits for the first hand. When thedeal button is pressed, a game hand, five cards in this optionalembodiment, are dealt face up to the player. The player has the optionto keep any or all of the cards by pushing the hold button under eachcard and drawing up to five cards to replace the discarded ones. Thereplacement cards are dealt from the deck depleted of the five initiallydealt cards. The game hand, consisting of the held cards along with thereplacement cards, has been completed at this point. If a playerreceives a winning hand, the player is rewarded according to a paytable.

In this optional embodiment, in playing the additional hands from thedepleted deck, each game hand wager is between a minimum and maximum betlimit for the selected wager denomination. In this optional embodiment,to change the bet credit denomination, the deck must be restored to afull inventory. In this optional embodiment, the pay table is constantthroughout the additional game hands. That is, even in hands in whichdealt game indicia are excluded, the pay table of this optionalembodiment does not change. In an optional embodiment, the pay tablecould be:

Hand Combination Payout Royal Flush 5,000 Straight Flush 500 4 of a Kind200 Full House 50 Flush 35 Straight 30 3 of a Kind 10 2 Pair 5 Jack's orBetter 5

In this example embodiment, as each card is dealt out to form an initialplaying hand, it is deleted or otherwise excluded from the deckinventory for subsequent play until a restoration event. According tosome embodiments, each card in a standard poker deck is a separatesymbol, having an attribute of one of four different suits (spades,diamonds, clubs and hearts) of one of thirteen different values. Thus,for example, there is only one Queen of hearts in a deck, but there area total of four Queens in the same deck. If the Queen of hearts weredealt in the first hand after a restoration event, it would beimpossible to obtain a heart Royal Flush or four-of-a-kind Queens in asubsequent hand because that Queen of hearts is now excluded fromsubsequent play until the deck is restored. All of the listed payoutcombinations are possible to obtain from a full deck, i.e. completefinite set, but if more than one hand is played, each card symbol isdeleted from the deck inventory for future use until a restorationevent. As above, card depletion from the deck may not only reduces thetotal inventory but, in an optional embodiment using a single deck withno duplicates, each separate card symbol goes to zero balance and maynot available to be dealt to subsequent game hands until a restorationevent.

In some embodiments, as discussed above, a manual restoration event canbe triggered by the player. The “Reshuffle” button allows players to bein control of playing with a depleted inventory, and it becomes a playeroption on whether to restore the excluded game indicia after playingone, two, three, or four hands before, in this optional embodiment, thedeck is automatically restored. It allows an individual the ability toplay the game with any strategy of choice and places the burden ofplaying with depleted outcomes on the individual and not on the game. Askill factor of knowing when the optimum time in the deck penetration isto call for an early reshuffle may be used in this game unlike someother game. In an example embodiment for draw poker, proper use of thisgame function will add approximately ½ of a percent to the ExpectedValue Payout to players over a period of time. The optimal play strategyof reshuffling at the precise time relative to the possible remainingpay outs may not be apparent, and each player may develop a feel orskill of when to do this. Player error may be high in this area.

In some embodiments, there may be a difference between the “Reshuffle”button function and the automatic restoration of the deck inventory. Inan optional embodiment directed to draw poker, the automatic restorationevent could be optionally determined by the quantity of completed hands.In an optional embodiment drawn to stud poker games, the automaticrestoration could be optionally determined by the quantity of handsconducted or the quantity of cards dealt.

In some embodiments, as discussed above, as each card symbol is played,it may be removed from the deck inventory and displayed to the player.As noted, in an optional embodiment using a single poker deck, each cardis a separate individual symbol. Thus, as each card is played there maybe a zero balance for the symbol in the remaining deck inventory. When asymbol or combination of symbols that can form a winning combination ofa listed payout is deleted from the deck prior to the start of a newhand, a player of this optional embodiment is notified through thedisplay so that the player can opt to restore or reshuffle the deckinventory. For example, the player of such an optional embodiment wouldbe notified through the display of any winning hand, such as a RoyalFlush or a pair of Jacks, that may be eliminated as a result of deckdepletion. In this optional embodiment, the player is also informedthrough the display of the remaining deck inventory after at least onehand has been played.

In an optional embodiment of a multi-denomination version of such apoker-type game, the winning hands listed on the pay table are constantwithout regard to the wager denomination. This is unlike some othervideo poker games in which the pay tables change when a game is playedwith a low denomination wager to keep the average daily casino holdabout the same for all denomination machines.

In an optional embodiment, a player may wager between the minimum wagerup to five times the minimum wager in any wager denomination level. Asabove, if a player wants to change the wager denomination, the deck mustbe restored to a full inventory of cards. Play history may optionally beseparately tracked for each wager denomination. As above, the recordinghistory of a such an optional embodiment may include such information asa game hand number, i.e. an identification of the game hand in theseries of game hands after a restoration event, and cards played, win,lose, bet amount, and the like for each game hand.

According to the optional embodiment described, the game isdistinguished from known poker-type games in that a player may (1) playa hand in a way that will give the highest expected value consideringthe average weighted payout for all possible outcomes; (2) exercise thechoice and control of when to reshuffle the depleted deck consideringthe possible remaining winning hands; and (3) adjust wagers and wagerdenomination to obtain optimal pay outs as the deck is depleted.

In yet another optional embodiment, a 4th hand bonus may be provided forthe draw poker-type game described. That is, this optional embodiment isprovided as a modification of the Jacks or better draw poker game. Asabove, the deck is automatically restored after four complete handsdealt from a single deck of fifty-two cards. According to the optionalembodiment, a bonus payout occurs for certain holdings, such as a RoyalFlush or a Straight Flush, that occur on the fourth game hand after adeck is restored and reordered. An example pay table could be:

Payout for Payout for Combinations Hands 1-3 Hand 4 Royal Flush 4,0008,000 Straight Flush 500 1,000 4 of a Kind 200 200 Full House 45 45Flush 35 35 Straight 25 25 3 of a Kind 10 10 2 Pair 5 5 Jack's or Better5 5

Again, this optional embodiment may be distinguished from other games inthat a bonus may be offered on a hand dealt from a depleted deck ofcards in which there is a higher likelihood of obtaining a straightflush. Thus, the player must factor in the possibility of winning thebonus amount in formulating the player's strategy of manually restoringthe deck.

In another optional embodiment directed to a stud poker-type game, aJoker card that can substitute for any other card, i.e. a wild card, isadded to a conventional fifty-two card poker deck to give a finite setcontaining fifty-three cards. In this optional embodiment, up to tencomplete game hands could be conducted before an automatic restorationevent to replenishing the deck inventory of cards.

In the optional embodiment, a wager is placed and a game hand is playedwith five cards dealt out to the player, with four cards face up and onecard face down. In such an optional embodiment, a player has the optionto double his or her wager based upon deck depletion and the remainingcards. The final card is revealed and the player is rewarded accordingto a pay table if the game hand is a winning hand.

In some embodiments, as described above, a player may have the abilityto trigger a manual restoration event to restore excluded game indiciaand reorder the deck inventory anytime after a hand of play iscompleted.

This may distinguish the example embodiment from other stud poker-typegames in that the player may develop a strategy to reshuffle the deck toobtain the most winning pay outs of optimal estimated value. Forexample, it is noted that in a single player, single deck optionalembodiment of the present game, by reshuffling the deck after a Jokerhas been played, the joker (wild card) will tend to appear 31/2 timesmore often than if the deck was not reshuffled and the deck not depletedpast one hand of play. Player error may occur both in the proper time todouble the bet and optimal time to reshuffle the deck early.

In another optional embodiment, this game may include a bonus payout forcertain winning hands appearing in certain game hands after arestoration event. For example, in an optional embodiment, a doublepayout for a Royal Flush and Straight Flush may be provided if the gamehand is acquired in the 7th or 8th game hand after a deck is restored.In this optional embodiment, an automatic restoration event may occurafter eight game hands before there is an automatic restoration of thedeck inventory. The bonus pay outs could affect the strategy for earlyreshuffling and the dependence of the wild card play.

In another optional embodiment a method could be applied to a multi-handdraw poker-type game. For example, in one optional embodiment thatutilizes one deck of fifty-two poker playing cards, four game hands offive cards each are dealt out to the player after the wager denominationis selected and a wager is placed. Unlike other multi-hand poker gamesthat merely duplicate the same hand, the game hands according to thisoptional embodiment are dealt simultaneously, rather than sequentially,and completed from a continually depleted deck. That is, in thisoptional embodiment, the player makes a hold selection on each of thefour game hands and draws from the remaining cards in the deck tocomplete each game hand in rotation.

In this optional embodiment, all the game hands played are displayed asthe other game hands are completed, so an additional display of the deckinventory may not be necessary. In this optional embodiment, themultiple game hands are dealt simultaneously, and the deck may berestored after each game of multiple hands. Thus, a player cannotreshuffle the deck or increase the bet as each game hand is completed.

In yet another optional multi-hand embodiment, four game hands of fivecards each may be dealt simultaneously to a single player from astandard fifty-two card poker deck. Each game hand may have a bet limitdetermined by a minimum and maximum wager and may optionally requirethat a bet of at least one credit be placed on each of the four gamehands before the deal. As above, the player's goal is to obtain winninghands based on a schedule of winning hands in a pay table.

In some embodiments, after the initial four game hands are dealt out,the player can select to hold any or all of the cards and draw toreplace the discarded cards from the depleted deck inventory. Game handsmust be played in rotation order from the first through the fourth hand.Since each game hand could require at most ten cards, only a maximum offorty cards would be depleted from the deck. If a player obtains awinning combination on any completed game hand, he or she is paidaccording to a pay table.

This optional embodiment may be distinguished from other video games bythe application of the present method of dealing multiple hands, eachrequiring a separate wager, from a continuously depleted deck.Additionally, however, the optional embodiment may include a multi-handpay table to take advantage of the present multi-hand method. An exampleof a pay table according to this optional embodiment could be:

Combinations Payout 4 Royals on the deal 1,000,000 credits 4 Royals -any way 100,000 credits 3 Royals - any way 50,000 credits 2 Royals - anyway 20,000 credits 1 - Royal Flush 5,000 credits 1 - Straight Flush 500credits 1 - Four of Kind 200 credits 1 - Full House 45 credits 1 - Flush30 credits 1 - Straight 25 credits 1 - Three of a Kind 10 credits 1 -Two Pair 5 credits 1 - Jacks or Better 5 credits

This optional embodiment may not contain the ability for the player tomanually trigger a restoration. Rather, excluded game indicia may berestored after the four simultaneously dealt game hands are completed.Optionally, a progressive linked bonus payout system may be implementedfor this game.

In this optional embodiment, a display is included to inform a player ofthe game indicia or winning combinations that have been depleted to zeroand, thus, are not available for play for each subsequent hand beforethe deck is restored to a full card inventory.

Blackjack-Type Games

Some embodiments may also be applied to Blackjack or Blackjack-typegames. In an optional single player embodiment, one or more hands areplayed against a dealer's hand with the object being to obtain a playerhand, the total of which is nearer to twenty-one than the dealer's handtotal is, without exceeding twenty-one. As known in the art, in thepresent optional embodiment, the Aces count as either one or eleven,face cards (kings, queens and jacks) as ten, and the numbered cards astheir face value.

In some embodiments, two cards are dealt face up to the player and twocards are dealt to the dealer, one face up and one face down, commonlyknown as the hole card. The dealer's hole card is displayed after theplayer completes the player's game hand. However, if the dealer's handis a natural twenty-one, i.e. an ace and a ten-value card also known asBlackjack, in a version of the game that does not have the insuranceoption, then both cards of the dealer are displayed and the game hand isover. Conversely, if a player's first two cards are a naturaltwenty-one, or Blackjack, the player is typically paid greater than evenmoney assuming the dealer does not also have a Blackjack. The preciseaward for a Blackjack could vary.

In some embodiments, if, after completing the game hand by hitting orstanding, the total value of the player's game hand is closer totwenty-one than the dealer's hand, then the player will win and be paid,optionally at even money. Additional options, such as splitting anddoubling down may also be made available to the player. If a player'scards total more than twenty-one, the player busts and the player losesthe wager bet. If the player and dealer have the same hand totals ofseventeen or more a push occurs and bets are returned.

In this optional embodiment, one or more fifty-two card standard pokerdecks may be used. In an optional embodiment, as many as eight decks ormore may be used. In some embodiments as discussed above, multiple handsare played from the deck and dealt cards are excluded from further playuntil a restoration event. It should be recognized that otherembodiments may not include finite decks, may not include suchdepletion, and/or may include any other methods.

In some embodiments, as each game indicia, i.e. playing card, is dealtto either a player hand or a dealer hand, it is displayed to the playerand removed from the deck inventory. That is, each card in aconventional poker deck is a separate symbol and as each symbol isplayed there is a balance of zero for that symbol in the deck inventory.When a symbol or combination of symbols that can form a winningcombination for a listed payout is not available as a consequence of theexclusion of dealt cards, a display notifies the player. Optionally, theplayer may manually restore or reshuffle the deck inventory if theplayer chooses to do so. For example, if, as a result of the depletion,the Blackjack combination is eliminated, a display is provided to theplayer.

In some embodiments, the player has the ability to manually trigger anearly reshuffle of the deck inventory after any completed hand byutilizing the “Reshuffle” button function of the game. The example gamemay also be directed for use in a multi-player format. In such anembodiment, any player may be able to manually trigger a restoration or,in an optional embodiment, the ability to manually trigger a restorationmay rotate among players.

In some embodiments, as discussed above, limits on the bet spread (i.e.the difference between the minimum and maximum wager) and the ability ofthe player to change wager denomination may apply. That is, in anoptional embodiment, the player may be restricted from changing wagerdenomination except after excluded indicia are restored either manuallyor automatically.

In an optional embodiment, each player may play multiple game handsdealt simultaneously. That is, in such an optional embodiment, two ormore hands are dealt to the player and one hand to the dealer.

In some embodiments, while the player may be required to complete theplayer's game hands in a particular sequence, in an optional embodiment,the player may select the order in which the hands are played. Thus, onestrategy would be to use the display of the excluded cards, oralternatively the cards not excluded, the player may play the game handsin the order that optimizes the player's chance of obtaining aparticular card. As above, a Blackjack is an automatic win for theplayer unless the dealer also has a blackjack hand. All hands lose ifdealer has a Blackjack, except that if the player has one or moreBlackjacks a push outcome may occur.

In some embodiments, as discussed above, cards may be dealt from thecontinuously depleted deck until an automatic restoration event ormanual restoration event, whichever occurs first. In this optionalembodiment, an automatic restoration occurs when a quantity of cardshave been dealt. Additionally, the player may also manually trigger arestoration after the dealer hand is completed. It should be recognizedthat other embodiments may not include such finite sets, such depletion,and/or may include any other methods.

In a further optional embodiment, a bonus may be provided foroccurrences over multiple game hands. For example, in one optionalembodiment, three game hands may be dealt to the player and one hand tothe dealer. In this optional embodiment, the player receives a bonuspayout for multiple Blackjacks, such as three Blackjacks for the threesimultaneously dealt player game hands. In another optional embodiment,a player may be dealt four game hands and a bonus may be provide formultiple Blackjacks, such as two, three, or four Blackjacks, in the foursimultaneously dealt player game hands.

It is specifically noted that embodiments of the present invention isnot limited to video gaming machine and computer, e.g. Internet, play.Rather, embodiments of the present invention may be applied to tablegames as well. According to an optional embodiment, a table version ofthe present invention may include an object placed in front of only oneplayer on any game hand to represent a “Reshuffle” button. This“Reshuffle” button would allow only one player to manually trigger arestoration before an automatic restoration. Optionally, the “Reshuffle”button rotates each time the deck is restored, either manually orautomatically.

It is further noted that in some embodiments, the quantity of-cardsplayed before an automatic restoration can be significant. By utilizinga consistent automatic restoration point, a payout of any blackjack typegame will have less risk that the house advantage will be too low orthat the player will gain an advantage. For example, in a game usingsix-decks of playing cards, the automatic restoration point set atseventy-eight cards remaining gives an average casino hold of 2.42% overthe long term. However, by setting the automatic restoration point atseventy-nine cards remaining, the average casino hold raises to 2.53%over the long term.

Thus, by controlling the automatic restoration point in someembodiments, along with the minimum and maximum wager spread and anylimitations on changing wager denomination if desired, a Blackjack-typegame can be created applying various embodiments that does not allow theplayer to have an advantage over the house. Thus, in an optionalembodiment, the present invention includes the calculation of anautomatic restoration point to minimize the risk that the player willgain an advantage, or that the house will lose an advantage, over thelong term including such factors as the size of the finite set. Someembodiments of the present invention further include using such acalculated automatic restoration point consistently such as byautomatically restoring the game indicia in an electronic version, or bymarking a shoe of playing cards to include a guide, e.g. a channel,groove or visual marker, to position mark a consistent automaticrestoration position when the decks are restored.

In some embodiments, selecting a game indicia and/or card may includeselecting a value for the card and a suit for the card. In someimplementations, the value and suit may be selected separately. Thevalue may include, for example, a face value (e.g., a two, a three, anace, a king, a queen, etc.) The suit may include, for example, a heart,a spade, a diamond, or a club.

In some embodiments, a value may e selected with reference to aninventory of available game indicia/card or other card data. The valuemay be selected based on the available game indicia. For example, thevalue may be selected from the inventory depleted of values that havepreviously been selected. For example, an inventory may begin with 4tens, but after a ten has been dealt, the inventory may have only 3tens. Selecting a value may include using a random number generator toselect a value from the remaining inventory of values, and/or any othermethod of selecting a value from a remaining inventory of values.

In some embodiments, the selected value, may correspond to a genericcard without a suit. Unlike embodiments discussed above in which aselected card and/or indicia includes both a value and a suit, in thisembodiments, the selected value does not include a suit.

In some embodiments, a suit may be selected from the four possiblesuits. Accordingly, in a deck, all cards of a value may have the samesuit. In some implementations, a game played in this method may haveoutcomes that are not determined by a suit of a card. Such a game mayinclude blackjack. The suit may be selected by a random number generatoror any other method. The suit may be selected without reference to aninventory and/or card data. The suit may be selected separately from thevalue.

In some embodiments, the inventory or other information about cardvalues remaining in an inventory may be displayed.

In some embodiments, after a value is selected, a number of indicia inan inventory that have the same value may be reduced and/or depleted toreflect the selection of the value. No specific card may be eliminatedby such reduction in some examples, because the suit of the cardsremaining is determined separately from the value. Accordingly, in somesuch embodiments, a deck may end up having multiple cards of the samesuit even though a standard deck may not have such duplicates.

While certain embodiments of the present invention have been shown anddescribed it is to be understood that the present invention is subjectto many modifications and changes without departing from the spirit andscope of the claims presented herein.

In some embodiments, a player may not have an option torestore/reshuffle a deck. In such embodiments, at least one additionalsequential game hand may be conducted using a finite set/deckdata/inventory cumulatively excluding dealt game indicia until anautomatic restoration event. Such an event may include, for example, anumber of cards being dealt, a number of hands played, a particularstate of a shoe, when a cut card is reached, and so on. In someimplementations, a virtual card may be placed in a deck at a desiredlocation and when the cut card is reached the deck may bereshuffled/restored. In some implementations, the reshuffle/restore mayoccur before the start of a next hand. In other implementations, thereshuffle/restore may occur at a time when the automatic event istriggered (e.g., even if it is in the middle of a hand). In someimplementations, a cut card may be placed in a deck between a desiredrange of cards (e.g., in the middle third of a deck), at a randomlocation in a deck, and/or in any other desired location and/or fashion.

Some embodiments may include saving a state of a finite set/deck data/aninventory. Such a state may be saved, for example after a first gamingsession. Saving a state may include, for example, storing informationdescribing a current circumstance of a deck, such information may bestored, for example, in a database, and/or on any computer readablemedium. A gaming session, for example, may include any number of gamesplayed. A gaming session ay end, for example, when a player turns adevice used to play the game off, leaves a gaming machine, turns acomputer program used to play a device off, switches applications on acomputer, visits a different website than the one used to play a game,and/or takes any other action to stop the play of a game.

Some embodiments may include restoring a state of a game at a start of asecond gaming session. The start of a gaming session may include anytime before play of a game begins (e.g., before cards are dealt, beforea player is given an option to make a move in a game, etc.). Restoring astate may include receiving/retrieving stored information. Suchinformation may be retrieved from a database and/or any computerreadable medium. Be restoring the state, the player may begin play usinga deck that has been depleted to the extent it was depleted in the priorsession. Accordingly, a player may be unable to perform a manualrestoration by turning a game off and back on, in some suchimplementations.

In some implementations, information about a state may be stored in alocation that may withstand a reset of a gaming device, for example, apermanent storage device such as a hard disk drive. In someimplementations, such information may be updated each time a card isdealt so that the information is up to date at all instances.

In some implementations, a first gaming session may take place on afirst device and a second gaming device. Each gaming device may haveaccess to the state information (e.g., through a communication network).The state information may be stored for example, on a networked drive orother network accessible storage medium. The state information may bestored on a card or other id that a player carries with her and may beused by the player to start a game (e.g., similar to the well known TITOsystem storage of money information). In some implementations, a playermay end a computer program to end a session and begin a computer programat a same or different device to begin a second session. A computerprogram may include, for example a java script program, an AJAX program,a web browser, a web based application, a stand alone program, and/orany other program.

In some embodiments, an exclusion/depletion of dealt game indicia/cardssuch that at least one value of the game indicia/cards is eliminated mayresult in a restoration of game indicia/cards. For example, in someimplementations, if an exclusion of a card from a deck results in nocards having the same value being available for a next hand, arestoration event may occur (e.g., card data may be restored, a deck maybe reshuffled, etc.). In some implementations, the number of card valuesnot being available for a next hand may be greater than one. Forexample, if dealing a hand results in no further 10's and no further2's, a restoration of the cards may occur.

Some implementations may include determining if such an exclusionresults from a depletion of deck data/inventory/a finite set. Suchdetermination may include, for example, referencing a table of availableoutcomes and/or determining in any other way.

In some implementations, a plurality of values that are eliminated thatlead to a restoration event may include all the cards dealt in a gamehand. For example, for a game hand in which a 10, a 2, a 4, and a 6 arethe only cards dealt, a restoration event may occur if after thedealing, there are no 10s, no 2s, no 4s, and no 6s remaining in thedeck. In some implementations, this may be a rare occurrence.

In some embodiments, when an outcome becomes unavailable due todepletion, a display regarding an inventory/deck data may be hidden. Forexample, in some embodiments, if all outcomes are available based on theconstituency of a deck, a display may show information about theconstituency; however, if an outcome becomes unavailable due todepletion, the display may be hidden.

In some embodiments, hiding a information may include removing theinformation from a display (e.g., from a monitor, form a screen, etc.).In some embodiments, hiding information may include preventing theinformation from being displayed. In some implementations, suchinformation may be displayed under some circumstances, but may beprevented from display under other circumstances.

In some implementations, the number of outcome eliminated based ondepletion may be greater than one. For example, in some implementations,the number may include a number equal to all outcomes that areassociated with cards dealt in a prior hand. For example, in someimplementations, if a two, a king, an ace, and a ten are dealt in aprior hand, then the number may include all outcomes that include anyother those cards (e.g., four kings, a straight with any of the cards,etc.).

In some implementations, this hiding of information may affect play by aplayer. However, such ply may be affected as a deck reaches an end whenit is more likely that depletion will have such an effect. It may becomeeasier for a player to track cards as a deck reaches an end than at thebeginning of a deck. In some implementations, a player may be presentedwith a warning that a display of information is about to be hidden sothat the player may begin to keep mental track of card/indiciainformation.

Embodiments Set B

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/977,138 entitled “Electronic CardGame and Method,” filed Oct. 12, 2001, U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 60/241,644 entitled “Electronic Video Poker Game and Method,” filedOct. 19, 2000, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/942,520 entitled“Live And Electronic Wagering And Lottery Game,” filed Aug. 29, 2001,U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/229,665 entitled “Live andElectronic Wagering and Lottery Game,” filed Aug. 31, 2000, and U.S.patent application Ser. No. 11/007,108, entitled “Method of conducting awagering game with continuous depletion,” filed Dec. 7, 2004 are allhereby incorporated herein by reference.

Some embodiments of the present invention relate to a live and/orelectronic wagering and/or lottery game. In some embodiments aninventory of game symbols are arranged in a random order and distributedto define an outcome for the game.

Wagering or casino or lottery games are typically referred to as livegames or electronic games. Live games may include those such as Poker,Blackjack, Roulette and the like. Electronic games may include gamessuch as Video Poker and electro-mechanical and video based slotmachines. For electronic games, a player inputs a wager which can bemoney, tokens or fictitious credits. Operation of the device produces anoutcome, which can be a winning or a losing outcome.

For Video Poker, virtual cards are dealt and the player, by holding anddiscarding cards, attempts to construct a winning hand combination. Foreach hand of play, the cards may be randomly selected from what may bedeemed to be a full deck of cards (e.g., by a random number generator).That is, as hands are sequentially played, the virtual deck may not bedepleted of the cards that have already been played. After each hand,the game may proceed as though it were being dealt from a freshlyshuffled deck.

For slot machines, symbols may be randomly selected and presented alongone or more pay lines. The combinations of symbols at an enabled payline determines whether the player has obtained a winning or a losingoutcome.

For live games such as Blackjack, cards may be dealt from a deck or froma shoe containing multiple decks to players. The players assemble afinal hand of cards which is the outcome. In Blackjack the final hand isthe sum of the values of the cards according to the well known rules ofthe game. As hands are dealt the deck or shoe is depleted to a pointwhere the cards are reshuffled. Players can keep track of the cardsplayed and thus know which cards remain in the deck or shoe. This maygive them an advantage.

It should be recognized that any game may be implemented as a liveand/or electronic game. It various embodiments, any game may be playedaccording to various methods and using various apparatus.

Some embodiments may include a game which has the excitement of a slotmachine as well as the anticipation accompanying the deal of cards. Someembodiments may include a game where the inventory of symbols isdepleted as hands are played, like a deck of cards, until the inventoryneeds to be re-shuffled. Some embodiments may include an electronic gamewhich permits the player to, after any hand, order re-shuffling of thesymbol inventory. Some embodiments may include an electronic game wherethe remaining inventory of symbols for play can be displayed for theplayer to see.

Some embodiments of the present invention may include a method anddevice for a game which randomly arranges game symbols into a serialordered inventory and displays the same in sequence to define one ormore outcomes. In some embodiments, a display displays the constituencyof the inventory as symbols are depleted from the inventory during play.In some embodiments, at a prompt by the player or at substantially apredetermined point of exhaustion of the inventory, the inventory isre-constituted and re-shuffled into a random serial order.

In some embodiments, a method includes configuring the game inventoryindicia into a random, serial order. In some embodiments, a player makeswagers and plays each of a series of hands. In some embodiments, foreach hand of play a predetermined number of game indicia are revealed todefine an outcome, said indicia selected in order from the seriallyarranged inventory. In some embodiments, a method may further includedisplaying the constituency of the inventory depleted of said revealedindicia for each hand as well as issuing an award to a player obtainingone of a plurality of preselected winning indicia combinations.

In some embodiments, a device for playing a game may include aprocessor, said processor configured to include means for randomlyarranging an inventory of game symbols or indicia into a serial orderand a video display. In some embodiments, means may be provided for aplayer to make a wager and prompt play of the game. In some embodiments,the processor, in response to prompting of play, may be configured toselect and display at said display a predetermined number of indiciaselected in order from said arranged inventory to define an outcome. Insome embodiments, the processor may be configured to compare saidoutcome to a schedule of winning outcomes stored in a data structure andto issue an award for a winning combination. In some embodiments, theprocessor may be configured to display the constituency of the remainingsymbol inventory.

Turning to FIG. 3, a layout 310 for the game according to the presentinvention is shown for play as displayed for the electronic version of agame according to some embodiments. According to this embodiment, thedisplay includes three areas, 312 a through 312 c, which, as describedbelow, receive game cards as dealt to produce an outcome for the game.The display may also show a pay schedule 314 as well as a credit meter316 which reflects the number of credits are available for wagering, theamount wagered on a hand of play and the amount won. There also may beprovided various buttons embodied as buttons on the machine or as areason the display touch screen. These buttons include a help button 318 forthe player to receive assistance concerning play, a cash out button 320to cash out accumulated credits, a bet one credit button 322, max betbutton 324 and play button 326. Also provided according to someembodiments of the present invention may be a shuffle button 328 thepurposes of which will hereinafter become evident.

In some embodiments, to play a device, the player makes a wager byinserting coins or tokens or by depressing the bet one credit button 322or max bet button 324. The placing of a maximum bet will automaticallyprompt play of the hand, otherwise the player may depress the playbutton 326 to start play. Upon the start of play, the processor for themachine, from stored data representing an ordered deck or inventory ofgame cards, selects and displays three cards in areas 312 a through 312c. In some embodiments, the game includes cards. Certain game cards areas illustrated in FIGS. 5A through 5D. In some embodiments, a virtualdeck includes sixty three game cards according to the followingdistribution:

TABLE-US-00001 Distribution of Game Cards Symbol Number in deck “BAR” 15“BAR-BAR” 9 “BAR-BAR-BAR” 7 Red “7” 5 Blue “7” 3 Blank 24 Total 63

The three cards as selected and displayed represent the outcome for thegame. The player wins a payback based preferably based upon thefollowing pay schedule in some embodiments.

TABLE-US-00002 Pay Schedule Units Bet 1 2 3 3 Blue 7s 2000 4000 6000 3Red 7s 300 600 900 Mixed 7s 50 100 150 3 BAR-BAR-BAR 50 100 150 3BAR-BAR 20 40 60 3 BAR 10 20 30 Mixed BARs 5 10 15 3 Blanks 1 2 3

Other pay schedules, symbols and distributions of symbols can beadopted.

As shown in FIG. 4, the player has not obtained a winning combinationsince the combination is “7”, “BAR-BAR” and “BAR”. Thus the player wouldlose their wager.

In some embodiments, to play the next hand, the player inputs anotherwager and prompts play whereupon the processor would select and displaythe next three symbols in the ordered data structure representing thedeck of game cards.

Some embodiments may include a data structure of game cards that may bestored in serial order as determined by a virtual shuffle of game cards.For example, the processor for the game may randomly arrange the cardsin a serial order 1 through X, where, for the game described herein, Xequals 63. In some embodiments, as hands are played one after another,the game cards are selected and displayed in the serial order in whichthey are positioned in the deck. For example, for the first hand cardsin positions 1 through 3 would be displayed and removed from thearranged deck. For example, for the next hand the cards would beselected from positions 4 through 6 and so forth until the deck isdepleted or reaches a predetermined location in the arrangementproximate the last sequential card. In some such embodiments, the serialplay of hands thus depletes the virtual deck of cards in serial order ascards are selected. In some embodiments, when the deck is depleted to,for example, three remaining game cards, the processor reshuffles thedeck and places the cards in a new, random serial order. By randomserial order in this embodiments, what is meant is that, like an actualdeck, the cards would be randomized and placed in sequence, 1 through X.In other embodiments, such random serialization, reshuffling,reordering, and/or finite decks may not be used and/or any other methodsand/or elements may be used.

A feature of some embodiments of the present invention is that prior toentering a wager, the player can depress the help button 318 whichcontrols the game processor to display a deck balance area 330 theconstituency of the cards remaining in the deck. For example, if fortycards have been dealt for preceding hands, the balance area woulddisplay, for the remaining twenty-three cards, how many Blanks, BARs,BAR-BARs, and 7s remain in the deck. If, for example, all of the Blue 7shave been played thus depriving the player of the ability to have a 3Blue 7s outcome, the player can depress the shuffle button 28 and theprocessor will reshuffle and randomize the deck. The ability to see thebalance of the deck remaining for play may lead the player to increasetheir wagers based upon the perception that the probabilities forobtaining a favorable outcome are increased. Further, the ability toreshuffle in some embodiments may also convince the player that the gameis fair.

In some embodiments, a game can be played with a single virtual deck ormultiple virtual decks. Further the game may be played as a videolottery where it is guaranteed that in any particular cycle of hands,that each series of prizes will be awarded. For example, if the cycle isselected as 238,266 hands, the pay outs and frequencies are as set forthbelow:

TABLE-US-00003 238,266 Hands in Cycle Symbols Hits Payout Max Bet TotalPayout Blue 7s 6 6000 36,000 Red 7s 60 900 54,000 Mixed 7s 270 15040,500 BAR-BAR-BAR 210 150 31,500 BAR-BAR 504 60 30,240 BAR 2730 3081,900 Mixed BARs 23,536 15 352,890 Blanks 12,144 3 36,432 39,450663,462 Total Play: 714,748 Total Payout: −663,462 Total Hold 51,336(7.18%) Hit Ratio: 1 in 6.04 hands

Thus, it is seen that for some embodiments of a lottery based game, thegame presents a 7.18% hold. This hold can be increased or decreased byaltering the pays for one or more winning combinations or by addingmore, or deleting, winning combinations.

In some embodiments, for a table game version, a table is provided muchlike a Blackjack table having, for example, six player positions. Ateach player position there may be provided the areas 312 a through 312 cfor the players game cards. Each player may make a wager, the minimumsand maximums of which may be dictated by house rules. After each playerhas made their desired wager, a dealer from a single deck of shuffledgame cards or a shoe containing multiple, e.g. four, shuffled decks, maydeal three game cards to each of the player's areas 312 a through 312 c.Depending upon the combination of cards, as discussed above, the playerwins or loses. After paying each winning player and collecting losingwagers, the players make new wagers and new hands are dealt.

In some embodiments, before the start of dealing from a newly shuffleddeck the dealer may discard, i.e. burn, three cards. Alternatively, thedealer may deal until there are three cards left in the deck, and thenreshuffle. In some embodiments, dealing from the deck or shoe continuesuntil reshuffling is warranted by there being insufficient cards left inthe deck to deal hands of three cards to each player.

In some embodiments of an electronic version of the game, the playershave the benefit of having displayed the deck balance and orderingreshuffling.

FIG. 6 illustrates a further example version of an electronic game. InFIG. 6 there is shown and electronic game display 100 controlled by acomputer processor 101 to define a three-by-three matrix 102 in the formof a three reel slot machine. Thus the matrix 102 shows three reels 104a through 104 c each having three rows for the display of selected gamesymbols. The matrix 102 also defines a plurality of pay lines 106 athrough 106 h, shown as eight which embrace the horizontal rows, thevertical columns formed by the reels 104 a through 104 c, and thediagonals. As hereinafter described, game indicia are displayed in thematrix 102 to define outcome for each pay line 106 a through 106 h.

In this example embodiment, the processor also controls the display 100to display other features for the game. At 108 the display 100 shows thetotal win for the game or spin whereas at 110 the total amount ofcredits for gaming are displayed. The total wagered for the last gameplayed is displayed at 112. For a current game, before the spin, thetotal game wager is displayed at 114.

In this example embodiment, in regards to game wagers, each pay line 106a through 106 h includes a banner 116 to indicate the amount beingwagered on each corresponding pay line 106 a through 106 h. For example,if the player wagers three per pay line, each banner 116 would show “3”and the total game wager would be displayed at 114 as “24” (3.times.8pay lines).

The display 100 also, in this example embodiment of the presentinvention, displays at 118 the inventory of symbols remaining for play.For example, where there are 63 symbols, after the initial shuffle theinventory of display may display the following:

TABLE-US-00004 Symbols Remaining Blue 7s 3 Red 7s 5 BAR-BAR-BAR 7BAR-BAR 9 BAR 15 Blanks 24 Total 63

In some embodiments, as hands or games are played, the inventory display118 would be depleted based upon the depletion of the symbols from theserial inventory. For example, and with reference to FIG. 6, theinventory may be now shown to be the following (all 7s in FIG. 6 assumedto be Red 7s):

TABLE-US-00005 Symbols Remaining Blue 7s 3 Red 7s 2 BAR-BAR-BAR 7BAR-BAR 8 BAR 10 Blanks 24

In some embodiments, as games are played the player can assess theconstituency of the remaining inventory. This feature may alter thewagering decisions of the player, e.g. to increase or decrease thewagers. It should be recognized that some embodiments may not includeserial inventories, such depletion of symbols, and/or any otherelements.

In some embodiments, in the event the player is dissatisfied with theremaining constituency of the inventory, the player can order theinventory to be re-shuffled by, for example, touching a touch screenbutton 120. In some embodiments, for re-shuffling the inventory isreturned to its full symbol inventory, e.g. 63 symbols, and the symbolsare randomly shuffled and placed in serial order. In some embodiments,the inventory display 118 may show a reconstituted, full, inventory. Itshould be recognized that some embodiments may not include suchreshuffling, such touch screen buttons, and/or any other elements.

In some embodiments, the display 100, which again may be a touch screendisplay, includes other features. At 122 a button is presented, thetouching of which applies a maximum wager to the game, e.g. 24 units.The wager, as with all wagers, may deplete the credit inventorydisplayed at 110. A help button 124 controls the game processor todisplay game information to the player. Finally, at 126 there is a dealbutton 126 which prompts play of a hand.

In some embodiments, at 128 the display 100 shows a pay table forwinning pay line combinations. The winning combinations would bepreselected and stored in a data structure for the processor 101.

TABLE-US-00006 Pay Table Wager 1 2 3 Blue 7s 3000 6000 9000 Red 7s 300600 900 Any 7s 50 100 150 BAR-BAR-BAR 50 100 150 BAR-BAR 20 40 60 BAR 1020 30 Any Bar 5 10 15 Blanks 1 2 3

In some embodiments, to play the example game of FIG. 6, the playerwagers on one or more pay lines 106 a through 106 h. For purposes ofthis description it shall be assumed that the player has depressed themaximum wager button 122 to wager 3 units on each pay line 106 a through106 h. The processor is prompted to select nine symbols from thebeginning of the serial, random inventory and displays the same in therows and columns of the game matrix 102 as shown. Based upon the symbolsselected and displayed the player has obtained certain winning outcomesas tabulated below (all 7s are Red 7s):

TABLE-US-00007 Pay line Award 106a 30 (Three “BARs”) 106e 15 (Three Any“BARs”) Total win 45

In some embodiments, the award is displayed at 108 and may be issued at130 in the form of credits, tokens, printed ticket or as otherwise knownin the art.

In some embodiments, the inventory display 118 may show the displayedsymbols removed from the inventory as tabulated above. In someembodiments, the player would enter wagers to play the next game. Insome embodiments, based upon the displayed inventory, the player maychoose before any play to re-shuffle and re-constitute the inventory bytouching the re-shuffle button 120. In some embodiments, for example, ifall of the Red and Blues 7s have been depleted from the inventory, theplayer would re-shuffle so that the higher award pay outs would bepossible.

According to a further embodiment, the game may include “Wild” symbolswhich are wild to complete any winning outcome. Further the game symbolsmay be representations of playing cards. In some embodiments, adisplayed, fully constituted inventory would be, for example, asfollows:

TABLE-US-00008 Symbol Number Wild 4 Kings 5 Queens 6 Jacks 8 10s 10Blanks 30 Total 63

Further the pay table for the example game may be as follows:

TABLE-US-00009 Pay Table Wager 1 2 3 Wilds 800 1500 2500 Kings 100 200300 Queens 50 100 150 Jacks 20 40 60 10s 10 20 30 Blanks 1 2 3

Thus the game may use any suitable symbols if desired. Further the gamematrix 102 may be expanded to four, five or more reels and may includemore or less pay lines.

In some embodiments, the game can also be played as a live game wherethe indicia are put on cards which are dealt to each player from thedeck including the card distribution as set forth above. In someembodiments, each player makes a wager and is dealt three cards from thedeck which define the outcome. In some embodiments, at a predeterminedpoint of penetration into the deck, e.g. 5 rounds of play, the deck isreconstituted and re-shuffled. In some embodiments, the player basedupon the known distribution of symbols, may also be permitted to orderreconstituting and re-shuffling of the deck for the next hand.

In some embodiments, selecting a game indicia and/or card may includeselecting a value for the card and a suit for the card. In someimplementations, the value and suit may be selected separately. Thevalue may include, for example, a face value (e.g., a two, a three, anace, a king, a queen, etc.) The suit may include, for example, a heart,a spade, a diamond, or a club.

In some embodiments, a value may e selected with reference to aninventory of available game indicia/card or other card data. The valuemay be selected based on the available game indicia. For example, thevalue may be selected from the inventory depleted of values that havepreviously been selected. For example, an inventory may begin with 4tens, but after a ten has been dealt, the inventory may have only 3tens. Selecting a value may include using a random number generator toselect a value from the remaining inventory of values, and/or any othermethod of selecting a value from a remaining inventory of values.

In some embodiments, the selected value, may correspond to a genericcard without a suit. Unlike embodiments discussed above in which aselected card and/or indicia includes both a value and a suit, in thisembodiments, the selected value does not include a suit.

In some embodiments, a suit may be selected from the four possiblesuits. Accordingly, in a deck, all cards of a value may have the samesuit. In some implementations, a game played in this method may haveoutcomes that are not determined by a suit of a card. Such a game mayinclude blackjack. The suit may be selected by a random number generatoror any other method. The suit may be selected without reference to aninventory and/or card data. The suit may be selected separately from thevalue.

In some embodiments, the inventory or other information about cardvalues remaining in an inventory may be displayed.

In some embodiments, after a value is selected, a number of indicia inan inventory that have the same value may be reduced and/or depleted toreflect the selection of the value. No specific card may be eliminatedby such reduction in some examples, because the suit of the cardsremaining is determined separately from the value. Accordingly, in somesuch embodiments, a deck may end up having multiple cards of the samesuit even though a standard deck may not have such duplicates.

While certain embodiments of the present invention have been described,it should be understood that it is subject to many modifications andchanges without departing from the spirit and scope of the appendedclaims.

In some embodiments, a player may not have an option torestore/reshuffle a deck. In such embodiments, at least one additionalsequential game hand may be conducted using a finite set/deckdata/inventory cumulatively excluding dealt game indicia until anautomatic restoration event. Such an event may include, for example, anumber of cards being dealt, a number of hands played, a particularstate of a shoe, when a cut card is reached, and so on. In someimplementations, a virtual card may be placed in a deck at a desiredlocation and when the cut card is reached the deck may bereshuffled/restored. In some implementations, the reshuffle/restore mayoccur before the start of a next hand. In other implementations, thereshuffle/restore may occur at a time when the automatic event istriggered (e.g., even if it is in the middle of a hand). In someimplementations, a cut card may be placed in a deck between a desiredrange of cards (e.g., in the middle third of a deck), at a randomlocation in a deck, and/or in any other desired location and/or fashion.

Some embodiments may include saving a state of a finite set/deck data/aninventory. Such a state may be saved, for example after a first gamingsession. Saving a state may include, for example, storing informationdescribing a current circumstance of a deck, such information may bestored, for example, in a database, and/or on any computer readablemedium. A gaming session, for example, may include any number of gamesplayed. A gaming session ay end, for example, when a player turns adevice used to play the game off, leaves a gaming machine, turns acomputer program used to play a device off, switches applications on acomputer, visits a different website than the one used to play a game,and/or takes any other action to stop the play of a game.

Some embodiments may include restoring a state of a game at a start of asecond gaming session. The start of a gaming session may include anytime before play of a game begins (e.g., before cards are dealt, beforea player is given an option to make a move in a game, etc.). Restoring astate may include receiving/retrieving stored information. Suchinformation may be retrieved from a database and/or any computerreadable medium. Be restoring the state, the player may begin play usinga deck that has been depleted to the extent it was depleted in the priorsession. Accordingly, a player may be unable to perform a manualrestoration by turning a game off and back on, in some suchimplementations.

In some implementations, information about a state may be stored in alocation that may withstand a reset of a gaming device, for example, apermanent storage device such as a hard disk drive. In someimplementations, such information may be updated each time a card isdealt so that the information is up to date at all instances.

In some implementations, a first gaming session may take place on afirst device and a second gaming device. Each gaming device may haveaccess to the state information (e.g., through a communication network).The state information may be stored for example, on a networked drive orother network accessible storage medium. The state information may bestored on a card or other id that a player carries with her and may beused by the player to start a game (e.g., similar to the well known TITOsystem storage of money information). In some implementations, a playermay end a computer program to end a session and begin a computer programat a same or different device to begin a second session. A computerprogram may include, for example a java script program, an AJAX program,a web browser, a web based application, a stand alone program, and/orany other program.

In some embodiments, an exclusion/depletion of dealt game indicia/cardssuch that at least one value of the game indicia/cards is eliminated mayresult in a restoration of game indicia/cards. For example, in someimplementations, if an exclusion of a card from a deck results in nocards having the same value being available for a next hand, arestoration event may occur (e.g., card data may be restored, a deck maybe reshuffled, etc.). In some implementations, the number of card valuesnot being available for a next hand may be greater than one. Forexample, if dealing a hand results in no further 10's and no further2's, a restoration of the cards may occur.

Some implementations may include determining if such an exclusionresults from a depletion of deck data/inventory/a finite set. Suchdetermination may include, for example, referencing a table of availableoutcomes and/or determining in any other way.

In some implementations, a plurality of values that are eliminated thatlead to a restoration event may include all the cards dealt in a gamehand. For example, for a game hand in which a 10, a 2, a 4, and a 6 arethe only cards dealt, a restoration event may occur if after thedealing, there are no 10s, no 2s, no 4s, and no 6s remaining in thedeck. In some implementations, this may be a rare occurrence.

In some embodiments, when an outcome becomes unavailable due todepletion, a display regarding an inventory/deck data may be hidden. Forexample, in some embodiments, if all outcomes are available based on theconstituency of a deck, a display may show information about theconstituency; however, if an outcome becomes unavailable due todepletion, the display may be hidden.

In some embodiments, hiding a information may include removing theinformation from a display (e.g., from a monitor, form a screen, etc.).In some embodiments, hiding information may include preventing theinformation from being displayed. In some implementations, suchinformation may be displayed under some circumstances, but may beprevented from display under other circumstances.

In some implementations, the number of outcome eliminated based ondepletion may be greater than one. For example, in some implementations,the number may include a number equal to all outcomes that areassociated with cards dealt in a prior hand. For example, in someimplementations, if a two, a king, an ace, and a ten are dealt in aprior hand, then the number may include all outcomes that include anyother those cards (e.g., four kings, a straight with any of the cards,etc.).

In some implementations, this hiding of information may affect play by aplayer. However, such ply may be affected as a deck reaches an end whenit is more likely that depletion will have such an effect. It may becomeeasier for a player to track cards as a deck reaches an end than at thebeginning of a deck. In some implementations, a player may be presentedwith a warning that a display of information is about to be hidden sothat the player may begin to keep mental track of card/indiciainformation.

Embodiment Set C

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/977,138 entitled “Electronic CardGame and Method,” filed Oct. 12, 2001, U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 60/241,644 entitled “Electronic Video Poker Game and Method,” filedOct. 19, 2000, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/942,520 entitled“Live And Electronic Wagering And Lottery Game,” filed Aug. 29, 2001,U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/229,665 entitled “Live andElectronic Wagering and Lottery Game,” filed Aug. 31, 2000, and U.S.patent application Ser. No. 11/007,108, entitled “Method of conducting awagering game with continuous depletion,” filed Dec. 7, 2004 are allhereby incorporated herein by reference.

Some embodiments of the present invention relate to methods and devicesfor playing electronic video Poker, Blackjack and other card games.

Video Poker is a well known game that may be played using an electronicdevice such as a computer with a display, a hand-held device or with adedicated, video Poker gaming machine. In some embodiments, the play ofbasic video Poker is the same whether it is played with a hand held,electronic novelty device, with a computer, through the Internet or witha dedicated gaming machine. Some of the following description isprimarily directed to a dedicated, video Poker gaming or video lotterymachine of the type found in casinos.

To play the game according to some embodiments, the player makes a wagerby any suitable means such as by wagering credits, inserting tokens orthe like. In some implementations, once the wager is made the machine isprompted for play whereupon the processor for machine randomly selectsfrom data representing a deck of playing cards, data representing tenplaying cards. In some implementations, this data may not be arranged inany order and typically is configured as a data string representing thecards of the deck in no particular order. In some implementations, thisorder is fixed when the data string is constructed; however the randomselection from the string in some implementations makes the fixed order,at least to a degree, irrelevant. In some implementations, from thisrandomly selected data, five playing cards are displayed representingthe initial holding and the data for the remaining ten cards is held ininventory. In some implementations, the player, using a touch screen onthe game display or buttons on the machine, selects which cards todiscard, if any, from the initial holding. In some implementations, thedata representing the discarded cards is replaced with the inventorieddata and the replacement cards are displayed. In some implementations,the final hand is (with or without replacement cards) is compared to aschedule of winning hands based on the ranking of hands of Poker. If theplayer has a winning final hand, they are paid based upon their wager.If they do not have a winning hand, their wager is lost. In someimplementations, after determination of the outcome of the hand, theplayer makes another wager and plays the next hand according to theabove.

In some embodiments, for each new hand of play, the initial hand isselected from data representing a full deck of cards. This deck may havethe standard fifty-two cards or may include an additional, wild, Joker.In this regard, it is further known to provide games according to theabove based upon a deuces wild, Joker's wild and Joker's and deuces wildformat. In some implementations, the play of a hand does not deplete thedeck data stored for the next hand. In some implementations, the devicedoes not track nor display cards remaining in the deck since there is nodeck depletion as hands are played. In some implementations, there is nomeans for the player to select to “reshuffle” or not reshuffle after aseries of hand.

Video Blackjack is also a known game. According to this game, the playermakes a wager and data representing a two card player hand and two carddealer hand are randomly selected and displayed from a full deck offifty-two cards. The cards of the player hand are revealed whereas onlyone card of the dealer hand is shown. The player, using an input device,opts to stand, split, double down and take one or more hits to completehis hand according to the rules of the game. The dealer's hand is thenrevealed and completed. As between the dealer and player, the one havinga hand count at or closest to “21” wins the hand. In someimplementations, after the hands are completed and compared and anywager paid or collected, a new wager is made and cards are dealt from afully constituted deck.

In some embodiments, for the table game version of Blackjack, a seriesof hands are dealt from a deck and the deck is depleted to a point wherethe deck is re-shuffled.

Baccarat is another known game where, in some implementations, a deck ofcards is shuffled to configure the cards into a random, serial order andwhere multiple hands are dealt from the deck before a point is reachedin penetration through the deck where the deck is re-shuffled.

Further, in regards to deck depletion through a series of hands for theplay of games of the type described, the same does not occur withrespect to some implementations of electronic card games since the deckis fully constituted at the start of each hand. Further, where a deck isdepleted over a series of hands, some implementations may includedisplaying to players the remaining constituency of the depleted deck sothey can see the cards available for play. In most jurisdictions, cardcounting, e.g. a player determining the remaining cards in the deckbased upon the cards played (in Blackjack where multiple rounds of handsare played from a deck of cards) is a crime or a basis for ejecting theplayer from the casino.

In some embodiments, at least for a plurality of hands of play, thecards which have been played deplete the deck for the succeeding hand.In some embodiments, a processor tracks the cards which have been playedand therefore can determine and display, if desired, the inventory ofcards remaining in the deck for play of the next hand. Some embodimentsinclude a game where the player can order “reshuffling” if he/shedesires. Some embodiments include a game of the type described abovewhere re-shuffling of the deck data, if not ordered by the player, isrequired based upon one or more pre-selected triggers.

Some embodiments include a method and/or electronic device for playing acard game such as a Video Poker game where the deck(s) are randomized(shuffled) into a random, serial order 1-N, where cards for play areselected and displayed in serial order for the deck, where theconstituency of the deck. i.e. the remaining cards available for play,are displayed and where the deck is reconstituted and reconfigured intoa new, random, serially arranged deck of N cards based upon the count ofdisplayed cards, a command prompt by the player or a pre-determinedtrigger and where the displayed pay table may be reconfigured to reflectthe fact that, based upon depletion of the deck, certain winningoutcomes cannot obtained.

Some embodiments include a method and/or device for playing a card gamesuch as a Video Poker game which includes providing a data processorincluding a first data structure storing data representing at least onedeck of N playing cards according to the rules of the game. For example,for some implementations of regular Poker, the first data structurewould store data representing each card of a fifty-two card deck. In thefirst data structure the card data is configured a random, serial orderrepresenting a deck of shuffled cards. The player makes a wager andplays a series of hands. For each hand of play, data is selected fromthe first data structure and displaying at an electronic display datarepresenting an initial holding of at least three playing cards, e.g. afive card Poker hand, the data selected in order from the seriallyarranged deck data. The player opts to discard one or more of saiddisplayed playing cards of the initial holding, the processor for anydiscarded card selecting and displaying a replacement card selected inorder for the serially arranged deck data to define a final outcome,five card, combination. The final card combination is compared to datastored in a second data structure storing data representing winningoutcomes. If the player has obtained a winning outcome an awardcorresponding to a winning outcome is issued to the player. It should berecognized that this example is non-limiting and that other embodimentsmay not involve serial orders, such data structures, and/or may includeany other elements or methods.

In some embodiments, a processor maintains data representing theconstituency of the deck data remaining in the first data structure,e.g. how many Aces-Deuces are left, and displays the constituency of thedeck data depleted of said displayed cards. Thus, in someimplementations, as cards are selected from the serially arranged deckand before the next hand of play, there is displayed for the player theremaining constituency of the deck which the player may use to guidetheir decisions as to which cards to discard. It should be recognizedthat other embodiments may not include such elements or actions and/ormay include alternatives.

In some embodiments, the feature of displaying the remainingconstituency of the deck through the play of a series of hands may alsobe incorporated into video versions of Blackjack, Baccarat and othergames.

In some embodiments, at a predetermined count of selected cards, thedeck data is reconstituted and reconfigured such that the cards arerandomly positioned in a serially ordered deck representing are-shuffled deck. In some embodiments, as new hands are played cards areselected in series form the deck data so as to correspond to dealing ofcards from the top of the deck. In some embodiments, reconstitution andreconfiguration may also be triggered, as by the play of the Joker inJoker's Wild Poker or upon prompting by the player.

Turning to the drawings, FIGS. 7 and 8 show an electronic display 410for the game and method according to some embodiments of the presentinvention. The display 410 may be presented by a video display or plasmadisplay for a gaming machine or on a computer monitor or handheld gamedisplay.

With reference to FIG. 7, a device 410 and method for a Video Pokerembodiment of the present invention is shown. In some embodiments, thedevice 410 includes an electronic video display 412 presenting anexample of the layout for the play of the game. The device 410 may beincorporated into any platform such as those currently known in the art.For example, the display 412 may be a touch screen display includingdata input means 414 to control the game/machine processor 415; howeverit should be understood that other data input means could be used suchas machine buttons, mouse, keyboard or the like.

In some embodiments, the display 412 has a locations 416 a e for thedisplay of the game hand cards 418 during play. During the play of thedevice 410 and method, cards 418 are displayed in a manner ashereinafter described to play the game method in some embodiments.

Not shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the device 410 and/or display 412 mayinclude a credit meter, as is known on the art, to keep a tally on thegaming credits available for play and means for the player to input awager and prompt play of the game. For example, the device may include acash reader or token acceptor by which the player may input the desiredwager as well as input means to wager accumulated credits, again as isknown in the art.

To provide information to the player, the display 412 may include atouch screen help button 420 which, if touched by the player, promptsthe processor 415 to display helpful information to the player. Alsoincluded in some embodiments is a cash out button 422 which if touchedby the player prompts the processor 415 to operate a pay device 424which may be a coin hopper device, voucher writer, credit or debit cardwriter or a program to transfer accumulated credits to the player'sestablished account.

In some embodiments, to enable the player to hold/discard cards 418,each location 416 a-e has associated therewith a hold button 426. Insome embodiments, as is known in the play of Video Poker, if the playerdesires to hold a card 418, he/she touches the corresponding hold button426 which prompts the processor 415 for the game to retain the displayof the held card 418. Cards which are not held in the initial hand orholding, are replaced with replacement cards to define the final,outcome, holding. The final holding, as described below, is compared toan established pay table to determine if the player has a winning orlosing outcome.

In some embodiments, the processor 415 controls the display 412 to alsodisplay a pay table which lists winning outcomes and the pay for each.Data corresponding to winning combinations and the pay or award for eachmay be stored in a second data structure 432

In some embodiments, data representing the deck of N cards for play ofthe game is stored in a first data structure 430, such as a digitalmemory device. Where the deck is a single, standard deck, N=52 cards.The data may be stored in a serial order, each address representing aplaying card of the deck. In some embodiments, the data is stored in afashion to replicate a shuffled deck of playing cards. For example, whennewly shuffled for play, the card data is stored in the first datastructure 30 as a sequential string of card data representing cardsN.sub.1 N.sub.52. In this example, the cards in the addresses N.sub.1N.sub.52 are not in any suit or value order but instead are randomizedsimulating a shuffled deck of cards, with the top card being N.sub.1 andthe bottom card being N.sub.52. In some embodiments, a random numbergenerator may be used to randomly select cards for each address. Thus,to the processor 415 and first data structure 430, the data is arrangedin a fashion similar to that of a shuffled deck of cards in someembodiments. It should be recognized, that these examples arenon-limiting, and as discussed below, other embodiments may includeother elements and/or methods.

In some embodiments, when the play of the game is prompted aftershuffling (reconstitution and reconfiguration of the data), theprocessor 415 selects the first five addresses N.sub.1 N.sub.5 in thedata structure defining the initial holding and, with that data,displays the corresponding cards at the display in locations 416 a-e asshown in FIG. 7. In some embodiments, the next card selected would beN.sub.6. In some embodiments, if, on the other hand, the last carddisplayed form the previous game was at address position N.sub.20, theprocessor would access address positions N.sub.21 N.sub.25 and displaythe cards corresponding to those addresses. Of course other arrangementsof data may be used to simulate the ordered, serial and randomarrangement of cards in a shuffled deck. It should be recognized thatthese examples are not limiting and that other embodiments may includeother methods or elements.

In some embodiments, the processor 415 controls the display 412 todisplay a table 434 which describe the inventory data representing cardsof the first data structure 430. Table 434 is updated as card data isselected and cards displayed to impart information as to the remainingconstituency of the data, i.e. how many of each card are left in theinventory.

With reference to FIGS. 7 and 9, a method of the play and the device 410for Video Poker will now be described.

Video Poker

In this example, at 436 the player inputs their desired wager to play ahand of Video Poker and at 438 prompts the processor 415 for play. Inthis example, the processor 415 accesses the first data structure 430 toget the next cards 418 at 440 in order from the random, seriallyarranged, deck data. For purposes of discussion and with reference toFIG. 7, it is assumed that the deck data of the first data structure 430has been re-randomized, reconstituted and serially ordered into datarepresenting a complete shuffled deck of fifty-two cards N.sub.1N.sub.52. Thus, at 440, the processor 415 gets cards N.sub.1 N.sub.5 anddisplays the same at the display 412 as an initial five card holding of,according to this example, 103A410 (FIG. 7). It should be recognizedthat this is given as an example only.

With continuing reference to the example of FIG. 9, the processor 415also counts the number of cards which the current hand has depleted fromthe deck at 442 as well as accounts for the value, and if desired suit,of the cards remaining in the deck data inventory of the first datastructure 430. Thus, if the deck data was a full deck of fifty-two cardsof a standard deck of playing cards, the deck by the retrieval anddisplay of five playing cards has been (1) depleted of five cards and(2) specifically depleted of cards 103A410. The processor re-tabulatesthe table 434 to account for the depletion of the deck. That is, beforeand after the display of the cards of the initial holding the table 434would be altered as suggested below and as reflected in FIG. 7:

TABLE-US-00001 Table Before Initial Deal Table After Initial Deal A's 4A's 3 K's 4 K's 4 Q's 4 Q's 4 J's 4 J's 4 10's 4 10's 2 9's 4 9's 4 8's4 8's 4 7's 4 7's 4 6's 4 6's 4 5's 4 5's 4 4's 4 4's 3 3's 4 3's 3 2's4 2's 4 52 47 (Bold cards reflect deck constituency change)

Thus, in this non-limiting example, at 444 the processor depletes thedeck data of the first data structure 430 and displays the remainingconstituency of the card data so the player knows which cards remainavailable for selection and display.

With reference to the example of FIG. 9, at 446 the player selects withthe input means 414 which cards of the initial holding to hold. Forexample, with reference to FIG. 7 the player may decide to hold the10's. Thus the display 412 would display the cards 418 in the followingmanner:

TABLE-US-00002 10, 3, A, 4, 10, Hold Hold

In this example, upon the player prompting play, at 448 the processor415 selects from the data stored in the first data structure the nextdata, e.g. N.sub.6 N.sub.8 and displays the same as replacements for thediscarded cards 3A4. For example, the hand, after replacements mayresult in a final holding outcome of:

TABLE-US-00003 10, 10, J, J, 10 Hold Hold

This holding is a Full House.

In this example, in connection with the retrieval of the replacementcard data, the processor at 444 depletes the deck data of the datarepresenting the replacement cards (cards 10.diamond., JJ) and displaysat the display 412 at table 434 the new constituency of the deckdepleted by the replacement card data. Thus the table 434 would be:

TABLE-US-00004 Table After Initial Deal Table After Replacements A's 3A's 3 K's 4 K's 4 Q's 4 Q's 4 J's 4 J's 2 10's 2 10's 1 9's 4 9's 4 8's4 8's 4 7's 4 7's 4 6's 4 6's 4 5's 4 5's 4 4's 3 4's 3 3's 3 3's 3 2's4 2's 4 47 44 (Bold cards reflect deck constituency change)

Thus the player has updated information as to the constituency of theremaining deck data.

In this example, at 450 the processor 415 compares the outcome to datastored in a second data structure 452 representing winning outcomes andthe award for each (referred to herein as pay table data) to determineif the player is entitled to an award. If the player has obtained awinning outcome, at 454 the processor 415 issues the appropriate award.Typical pay table data for a five unit wager is as shown at the paytable 428 of FIG. 7. The pays may be linear based upon the tokenswagered or may include one or more higher pays to encourage a maximumcoin wager.

In some embodiments, after the award or if no award was won, theprocessor 415 determines at 456 if the player has prompted re-shufflingof the deck data of the first data structure 430. In some embodiments,the player may prompt reconfiguration and reconstitution of the deckdata of the first data structure into data representing a shuffled,random, serially ordered full deck by touching shuffle button 458 (FIG.7). In some embodiments, the processor 415 reconfigures andreconstitutes the deck data of the first data structure 430 into datarepresenting cards N.sub.1 N.sub.52. In some embodiments, the display412 would also be controlled to show the constitution of the deck dataat table 434. In some embodiments, the player may command re-shufflingwhere the deck constitution, for the next hand of play, is not what theplayer desires, e.g. is completely depleted of Aces thus making a RoyalFlush impossible for the next hand. It should be noted that where deckdepletion makes certain outcomes impossible for the next hand, theprocessor 415 would re-configure the pay table 428 and remove thatoutcome in some embodiments. For example, if all Kings are depleted fromthe deck making a Royal Flush impossible, the Royal Flush pay would beremoved from the pay table 428.

In some embodiments, if the player does not command re-shuffling,re-shuffling may be commanded based upon the count of the card datawhich has been displayed. According to some embodiments, wherepenetration into the deck data reaches a predetermine number, theprocessor 415 commands reconfiguration and reconstitution of the deckdata. For example, if the count exceeds 30 cards, e.g. (N.sub.1N.sub.31), at 60 the deck data is reshuffled before the play of the nexthand in some embodiments.

In some embodiments, one or more triggers at 462 may triggerre-shuffling and reconstitution of the deck. For example, where the gameis a Joker's Wild version of Video Poker, the display of the Joker inthe hand may trigger re-shuffling before the play of the next hand.Other triggers may be depletion of one of A's 10's from the deck (makinga Royal Flush impossible) or depletion of all the 2's in a Deuces Wildformat game.

In some embodiments where re-shuffling takes place, the table 434 mayreflect the re-constitution of the deck.

Table 434 may also display the cards remaining for each suit as shown inthe example of FIG. 7.

In some embodiments, whether re-shuffling takes place or not, the playerat 436 inputs another wager to play the next hand having the informationimparted by the table 434 of the constitution of the deck data.

The example of FIG. 8 illustrates the display 412 after completion of ahand which has depleted the deck data to have a remaining set of 32cards. Since the next hand could require the selection and display often cards (initial holding of five cards where all are discarded andreplaced) thereby exceeding a forty card deck penetration, re-shufflingof the deck data would occur prior to the play of the next hand in someexamples.

As suggested above, the device and method may be configured to play aDeuces Wild or Joker's Wild game. In some embodiments for Joker's Wild,data is stored in the first data structure 430 representing a standarddeck (52 cards) plus at least one Joker for data representingfifty-three cards. In some embodiments only one Joker is included and is“wild” to represent any card in the deck. In some embodiments forJoker's Wild the pay table data stored in the second data structure 432represents the following winning combinations and awards for a five unitwager:

TABLE-US-00005 Royal Flush (without Joker) 5000 5 of a Kind 1000 RoyalFlush with Joker 500 Straight Flush 250 4 of a Kind 100 Full House 35Flush 25 Straight 15 3 of a Kind 10 Two pair 5 Pair of Queens or Better5

In some embodiments, the processor 415 is programmed to orderre-shuffling (reconfiguration and reconstitution) of the deck data uponthe first of: (1) where the count the hands played as tracked by thecounter 442 is four hands (2) after a hand is played including theJoker, or (3) player commanded re-shuffling.

Blackjack/Baccarat

Turning to the example of FIG. 10, there is shown a diagram for the playof Blackjack or Baccarat according to the present invention Likeelements bear like reference numbers.

In some embodiments, at 436 the player inputs their desired wager toplay a hand of Baccarat or Blackjack and at 438 prompts the processor415 for play. In some embodiments, the processor 415 accesses the firstdata structure 430 to get the next cards at 440 in order from therandom, serially arranged, deck data. In some embodiments for Blackjack,the processor would select and display two cards for a player hand andtwo cards for a dealer hand; however for the dealer hand, only one cardis exposed. Thus, at 444, the deck data is depleted by four cardsdisplayed for the initial holding and the constituency of the remainingdeck is displayed at table 434 in some embodiments.

With continuing reference to FIG. 10, the processor 415 also counts at442 the number of cards (and/or hands of play, if desired) representedby the current hand as well as accounts for the value, and if desiredsuit, of the cards remaining in the deck data inventory of the firstdata structure 430 in this example. For Baccarat or Blackjack, suit isnot important and hence may not be accounted for in someimplementations.

In some embodiments, at 464 the hands are completed by the playerstanding, splitting, doubling down, taking a hit according to the rulesof Blackjack. The player's action may require the selection and displayof additional cards for the player hand. In some embodiments, foradditional cards requested by the player, at 444 and as described above,the deck data is selected in order from the serially arranged,randomized deck data, cards are counted at 442, at 444 the deck data isdepleted and the new deck constituency is displayed. In someembodiments, the dealer's hand at 464 is also completed which mayrequire selecting and displaying additional cards according to thewell-known rules of the game. In some embodiments, for any additionalcards for the dealer's hand, cards are counted at 442, at 444 the deckdata is depleted and the new deck constituency is displayed. It shouldbe recognized that this example is non-limiting and that other elementsand/or methods may be used in other embodiments.

In some embodiments, when the player and dealer hands have beencompleted, at 466 the hands are compared, according to the well knownrules of the game to determine if the player has won the hand. If theplayer has won at 454 the award is issued to the player and if not, theplayer's wager is lost and is retained.

In some embodiments, after the award or if no award was won, theprocessor 415 determines at 456 if the player has prompted re-shufflingof the deck data of the first data structure 430. In some embodiments,the player may prompt reconfiguration and reconstitution of the deckdata of the first data structure 430 into data representing a shuffled,random, serially ordered full deck by touching shuffle button 458 (FIG.7). In some embodiments, the processor 15 reconfigures and reconstitutesthe deck data of the first data structure 430 into data representingcards N.sub.1 N.sub.52 for the fifty-two card deck. In some embodiments,the display 412 would also be controlled to show the constitution of thedeck data at table 434. In some embodiments, the player may commandre-shuffling where the deck constitution, for the next hand of play, isnot what the player desires, e.g. is completely depleted of Aces thusmaking a Blackjack impossible for the next hand. It should be recognizedthat his example is non-limiting and other embodiments may include otherelements or methods.

In some embodiments, if the player does not command re-shuffling,re-shuffling may be commanded based upon the count of the card datawhich has been displayed or additionally or alternatively, the number ofhands which have been played since re-shuffling of the deck. Accordingto some embodiments, where penetration into the deck data or the numberof hands of play reaches a predetermine number, the processor 415commands reconfiguration and reconstitution of the deck data. Forexample, if the count exceeds 30 cards, e.g. (N.sub.1 N.sub.31), at 60the deck data is reshuffled before the play of the next hand in someembodiments. Or, in some embodiments, if four hands have been played,re-shuffling may be triggered.

In some embodiments, one or more triggers at 462 may triggerre-shuffling and reconstitution of the deck. For example, where all theAces have been depleted from the deck (making a Blackjack impossible),re-shuffling may be triggered before the play of the next hand in someembodiments.

In some embodiments, Baccarat is played in the same manner asillustrated in FIG. 10 and described above. The difference is theexposure of all cards and the known draw rules for Baccarat to completethe Player and Banker hands therefore.

The device and method may also be applied to other casino card gamessuch as modified Blackjack, Baccarat or Poker games. Further the methodcan also be employed in a table game using one or more decks of cardsand a card reader to read cards as they are distributed to players.

In some embodiments, selecting a game indicia and/or card may includeselecting a value for the card and a suit for the card. In someimplementations, the value and suit may be selected separately. Thevalue may include, for example, a face value (e.g., a two, a three, anace, a king, a queen, etc.) The suit may include, for example, a heart,a spade, a diamond, or a club.

In some embodiments, a value may be selected with reference to aninventory of available game indicia/card or other card data. The valuemay be selected based on the available game indicia. For example, thevalue may be selected from the inventory depleted of values that havepreviously been selected. For example, an inventory may begin with 4tens, but after a ten has been dealt, the inventory may have only 3tens. Selecting a value may include using a random number generator toselect a value from the remaining inventory of values, and/or any othermethod of selecting a value from a remaining inventory of values.

In some embodiments, the selected value, may correspond to a genericcard without a suit. Unlike embodiments discussed above in which aselected card and/or indicia includes both a value and a suit, in thisembodiments, the selected value does not include a suit.

In some embodiments, a suit may be selected from the four possiblesuits. Accordingly, in a deck, all cards of a value may have the samesuit. In some implementations, a game played in this method may haveoutcomes that are not determined by a suit of a card. Such a game mayinclude blackjack. The suit may be selected by a random number generatoror any other method. The suit may be selected without reference to aninventory and/or card data. The suit may be selected separately from thevalue.

In some embodiments, the inventory or other information about cardvalues remaining in an inventory may be displayed.

In some embodiments, after a value is selected, a number of indicia inan inventory that have the same value may be reduced and/or depleted toreflect the selection of the value. No specific card may be eliminatedby such reduction in some examples, because the suit of the cardsremaining is determined separately from the value. Accordingly, in somesuch embodiments, a deck may end up having multiple cards of the samesuit even though a standard deck may not have such duplicates.

In some embodiments, a player may not have an option torestore/reshuffle a deck. In such embodiments, at least one additionalsequential game hand may be conducted using a finite set/deckdata/inventory cumulatively excluding dealt game indicia until anautomatic restoration event. Such an event may include, for example, anumber of cards being dealt, a number of hands played, a particularstate of a shoe, when a cut card is reached, and so on. In someimplementations, a virtual card may be placed in a deck at a desiredlocation and when the cut card is reached the deck may bereshuffled/restored. In some implementations, the reshuffle/restore mayoccur before the start of a next hand. In other implementations, thereshuffle/restore may occur at a time when the automatic event istriggered (e.g., even if it is in the middle of a hand). In someimplementations, a cut card may be placed in a deck between a desiredrange of cards (e.g., in the middle third of a deck), at a randomlocation in a deck, and/or in any other desired location and/or fashion.

Some embodiments may include saving a state of a finite set/deck data/aninventory. Such a state may be saved, for example after a first gamingsession. Saving a state may include, for example, storing informationdescribing a current circumstance of a deck, such information may bestored, for example, in a database, and/or on any computer readablemedium. A gaming session, for example, may include any number of gamesplayed. A gaming session ay end, for example, when a player turns adevice used to play the game off, leaves a gaming machine, turns acomputer program used to play a device off, switches applications on acomputer, visits a different website than the one used to play a game,and/or takes any other action to stop the play of a game.

Some embodiments may include restoring a state of a game at a start of asecond gaming session. The start of a gaming session may include anytime before play of a game begins (e.g., before cards are dealt, beforea player is given an option to make a move in a game, etc.). Restoring astate may include receiving/retrieving stored information. Suchinformation may be retrieved from a database and/or any computerreadable medium. Be restoring the state, the player may begin play usinga deck that has been depleted to the extent it was depleted in the priorsession. Accordingly, a player may be unable to perform a manualrestoration by turning a game off and back on, in some suchimplementations.

In some implementations, information about a state may be stored in alocation that may withstand a reset of a gaming device, for example, apermanent storage device such as a hard disk drive. In someimplementations, such information may be updated each time a card isdealt so that the information is up to date at all instances.

In some implementations, a first gaming session may take place on afirst device and a second gaming device. Each gaming device may haveaccess to the state information (e.g., through a communication network).The state information may be stored for example, on a networked drive orother network accessible storage medium. The state information may bestored on a card or other id that a player carries with her and may beused by the player to start a game (e.g., similar to the well known TITOsystem storage of money information). In some implementations, a playermay end a computer program to end a session and begin a computer programat a same or different device to begin a second session. A computerprogram may include, for example a java script program, an AJAX program,a web browser, a web based application, a stand alone program, and/orany other program.

In some embodiments, an exclusion/depletion of dealt game indicia/cardssuch that at least one value of the game indicia/cards is eliminated mayresult in a restoration of game indicia/cards. For example, in someimplementations, if an exclusion of a card from a deck results in nocards having the same value being available for a next hand, arestoration event may occur (e.g., card data may be restored, a deck maybe reshuffled, etc.). In some implementations, the number of card valuesnot being available for a next hand may be greater than one. Forexample, if dealing a hand results in no further 10's and no further2's, a restoration of the cards may occur.

Some implementations may include determining if such an exclusionresults from a depletion of deck data/inventory/a finite set. Suchdetermination may include, for example, referencing a table of availableoutcomes and/or determining in any other way.

In some implementations, a plurality of values that are eliminated thatlead to a restoration event may include all the cards dealt in a gamehand. For example, for a game hand in which a 10, a 2, a 4, and a 6 arethe only cards dealt, a restoration event may occur if after thedealing, there are no 10s, no 2s, no 4s, and no 6s remaining in thedeck. In some implementations, this may be a rare occurrence.

In some embodiments, when an outcome becomes unavailable due todepletion, a display regarding an inventory/deck data may be hidden. Forexample, in some embodiments, if all outcomes are available based on theconstituency of a deck, a display may show information about theconstituency; however, if an outcome becomes unavailable due todepletion, the display may be hidden.

In some embodiments, hiding a information may include removing theinformation from a display (e.g., from a monitor, form a screen, etc.).In some embodiments, hiding information may include preventing theinformation from being displayed. In some implementations, suchinformation may be displayed under some circumstances, but may beprevented from display under other circumstances.

In some implementations, the number of outcome eliminated based ondepletion may be greater than one. For example, in some implementations,the number may include a number equal to all outcomes that areassociated with cards dealt in a prior hand. For example, in someimplementations, if a two, a king, an ace, and a ten are dealt in aprior hand, then the number may include all outcomes that include anyother those cards (e.g., four kings, a straight with any of the cards,etc.).

In some implementations, this hiding of information may affect play by aplayer.

However, such ply may be affected as a deck reaches an end when it ismore likely that depletion will have such an effect. It may becomeeasier for a player to track cards as a deck reaches an end than at thebeginning of a deck. In some implementations, a player may be presentedwith a warning that a display of information is about to be hidden sothat the player may begin to keep mental track of card/indiciainformation.

While certain embodiments of the present invention have been described,it should be understood that these embodiments are subject to manymodifications and changes without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe appended claims.

1-14. (canceled)
 15. An apparatus comprising: a means for: for each of a plurality of first rounds of a game: (a) determining a respective plurality of game elements from a set of game elements to make up a respective outcome, in which the set of game elements is arranged into a plurality of subsets that each include a respective at least two game elements, (b) removing each of the determined game elements from the set for play in subsequent rounds of the plurality of first rounds, and facilitating a plurality of second rounds using the set until an automatic restoration event, in which the automatic restoration event includes all game elements having each of a plurality of particular numerical values being eliminated and the automatic restoration event causes the set to be restored; and a means for: prior to play of at least some of the first rounds, displaying a number of game elements remaining in each subset of the plurality of subsets after previously determined game elements have been removed from the set.
 16. An apparatus comprising: a means for: for each of the plurality of first rounds of a game: (a) determining a respective plurality of game elements from a set of game elements to make up a respective outcome, (b) removing each of the determined game elements from the set for play in subsequent rounds of the plurality of first rounds, and facilitating a plurality of second rounds using the set until an automatic restoration event, in which the automatic restoration event includes all game elements having each of a plurality of particular numerical values being eliminated and the automatic restoration event causes the set to be restored; and a means for: displaying information indicating at least one of a makeup of the set after previously determined game elements have been removed and a makeup of the previously determined game elements that have been removed from the set.
 17. An apparatus comprising: a means for: determining a set of game elements arranged into a randomized order, determining a respective plurality of game elements from the set of game elements to make up an outcome of a first round of a game by removing each of the plurality of game elements from the set in order, and facilitating, by the computing device, at least one second round using the set until an automatic restoration event, in which the automatic restoration event includes all game elements have each of a plurality of particular numerical values being eliminated and causes the set to be restored; and a means for displaying information indicating a makeup of the set after removing the plurality of game elements;
 18. An apparats comprising: a means for: for each of the plurality of first rounds of a game: (a) determining a respective plurality of game elements from a set of game elements to be placed into respective locations in a game matrix to makes up a respective outcome, in which the set of game elements is arranged into a plurality of subsets that each include a respective at least two game elements, (b) removing each of the determined game elements from the set for play in subsequent rounds of the plurality of first rounds; facilitating a plurality of second rounds using the set until an automatic restoration event, in which the automatic restoration event includes all game elements having each of a plurality of particular numerical values being eliminated and the automatic restoration event causes the set to be restored; and a means for: prior to play of at least some of the first rounds, displaying information indicating at least one of a makeup of the set after previously determined game elements have been removed and a makeup of the previously determined game elements that have been removed from the set. 